Huntress
by Katie Woods
Summary: Crater is a crazy eraser with nowhere to go. Nowhere but up that is. Yep, Crater's the first flying eraser of the lot. But she's not exactly the best at what she does. She protects her home turf New York City but when Max and her flock come in causing trouble...
1. 1 Flock in the house(p1)

Crater:

I smiled and made my way down town. Tony from the honey nut stand waved and I waved back. Everyone here knows me as a regular. I've lived here most of my life. Ever since I left the Building I came here and found a life of peace. Except for thugs running around ruining that peace but I shut 'em up. Its my job after all. I come around and smack some sense into who ever's causing trouble. Sure I look scrawny, bad messy bed head, looks like she can't even carry a picture book without breaking a sweat, but hey. I'm a freak and proud of it.

Well, I'm not exactly proud of the fact that I'm being held back as an unwanted mutt but no ones perfect. I walked around near the park as a big group of teens and kids bumped into me. They're leader, a tall blonde girl with pretty brown eyes looked at me surprised. "Gah! Sorry!" And then melted into the crowd but I could spot her just fine. I don't ever forget a face or voice ever.

Her eyes are what puzzled me the most. They looked like they knew what I've been through. That they've seen what horrors I've seen. Naw it can't be. I haven't met anyone like me in years. Suddenly this big burly guy with the sent of Hunter passed me. He was following the kids. Hunter for your information are genetically modified humans with wolves in them. They're freaks like me and have an uncontrollable thirst for blood. Monsters the lot of them.

Good thing I was born retarded! I don't have that thirst like they do but I do have killer instincts but I've evolved. I'm a good guy. I trailed them. Three feet ahead of the blonde. She had a blue eyes, blond 6 year old in her arms. No! No one hunts little kids like here. That's just low. Too low for my liking. The man grabbed the blonde on her arm and had a death grip. The crowd parted and starded not sure what to do. I ran over as quick as light and punching him in the face. "Hey let go of my sister!" I yelled and he got back up. He swung and I ducked and kicked his legs out from under him.

As he fell I noticed a barcode on his neck. He's due today. I backed up and pushed the two girls from before behind me. The guy stood taller than me and I acted scared. He grinned from ear to ear like a crocodile but then fall face first of the concrete like a rock. He's due right now. I planted a lighter near his hand and the cops showed up. I tapped the girl's shoulder and whispered. "Follow and don't ask." I looked over at the crowd and pointed to the lighter so cleverly planted. "Drug addict!" And ran with the girls and some other teens in tow.

We stopped after a while and going in a couple of circles to loose the cops. We walked and passed a tree that looked like it was eating away at the fence around it. The blonde grabbed something that was stuck in between the fence and showed it to a boy with long black hair. They whispered among each other but I heard it clear as day.

"I can use it if I can figure out the password," She told the boy

He nodded. "Okay."

She took a semi-audible gulp and stuffed it in her polecat and tapped my shoulder.

"Let's just get into the park," She said. "Nice, safe Central Park." I nodded at her request and led them back into the park. On the way there they all seemed twitchy and uncomfortable with me. I laughed lightly and all eyes turned to me. "What's wrong? You're kinda twitchy the lot of ya." No one answered and I shrugged. "What? Something i said? I'm Crater and you're in my city now so I'd like to know why you're causing such a hullabaloo." A little pre-teen with curly hair and dark-ish skin looked at me. "You sound like to southern people on tv," then she let out a gasp. "OMG! Are you one of those people on tv? 'Cause that would be so cool. Just like how you saved Max and Angel back there from that-" but the others cut her off. "Nudge!" They cried and she shut up.

I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. "Well I ain't no hero or anything. I was just defending a couple of Buildingers for a Hunter that's all. What are freaks for right?" I smiled and they all took it in realizing that I knew. "Surprise, I'm from the Building too. Left that place as soon as I could. California Building in Death Valley?" The leader who I guess is Max nodded. "Yeah, so?" She said getting defensive so I put my hands up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. Struck a nerve there I see. I'm just helping out a pal in need like I do to everybody here. I see trouble or smell Hunter I scurry on over and bring 'em to justice that they shall serve." They stayed silent.

"So, what's a bunch of kids like you doing all the way over in freak central? I can tell you ain't from around here so might as well speak. I know none of you are mute because you just all yelled at Nudge a while ago. I can tell a lot just by staring at you guy. Max, and the two tall boys are all 14, seen more than you'd like. Max is the leader and emo dude, you're her right wing man. The vanilla ice-cream guy is blind but defiantly _not_ helpless. Little dude behind Nudge I can already smell the boomers you've pulled off before and you and Angle over there next to Max. Yeah, I'm feeling something like siblings. All of you alivian with different abilities." They all looked at me stunned. I smiled. "Hit bullseye didn't I?" They nodded stunned. Max glared at me.

As we neared Central Park I could feel her growing impatient. Finally when I thought she was about to pop a vein, she grabbed my shoulders and spun me around so we were face to face. "Okay that's it!" And I smiled. "Took ya long enough." She looked ready to slap me. "You're an eraser aren't you?" Her tone low and threatening. "Like what's at the butt of a pencil?" I asked but it only made her angrier. "Don't play dumb with me! You know what I'm talking about! Those-those," she turned to her gang. "What did she call erasers again? Hungry? Haters?" I spoke up. "Hunters?" She nodded. "Yeah Hunters! You're one of them aren't you? You just trying to lead us to a trap at central!" She jabbed a finger into my chest.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Woah slow down there pal. I'm just a freak like you except freaky...er. Freakyer? Freakish? Anyways I ran away from The Building because they wanted me to be like the rest of them but I have a brain. I have feelings. And if no one believes me, I don't care! I'm just trying to help out and show I'm not _them_. I'm not their puppet, I'm not their toy, I'm me." I felt anger. No, deep breaths. With anger comes the monster. Angel's little hand held mine as I counted to ten and took a few breaths. "Max, she's nice. Just misunder-um..." I leaned and whispered in her ear. "Misunderstood?" She nodded. "Yeah that! She's really nice and she help us from the eraser from before. Can she be with us? Just for tonight?" Her big blue eyes pleading it made me want to hug her.

"Angel she's not just a stray you pick up from the streets." Max pointed out. She looked at Angel dead in the eyes but gave in. She turned to me annoyed that she had too fallen under Angel's eyes. "Would you like to join us?" I nodded and then realization hit her features. "Wait you said _your_ city right?" I blushed and nodded. "Well not _my_ city but you get the gist of it." They all shared a look of joy. "Do you know where The Institute for Higher living is?!" I tapped my chin. "On the tip of me tongue. I swear I've heard it before, but where..." we walked and I thought, the institute, the institute.

Soon we had already reached central and they climbed up a tree. I sat down below it and Angel signaled me over. I shrugged and flew up there. Everyone looked at me shocked. "What? Something on my face?" Max shook he head. "You-you can _fly_?!" I nodded. "Yeah, can't we all?" They nodded. "So what's the big deal over me flying?" They remained speechless. They forgot about it and I hung high above them so I could see if any Huntes came. Why do they call them erasers. Makes 'em seem like smiley pencils. Angry smiley pencils.

"It is unlawful to climb trees in Central Park," Boomed a megaphone.

I opened my eyes and nearly fell off.

A black-and-white was parked below, its lights flashing. Like in New York they didn't have any more important crimes to work on than a bunch of kids sleeping in a tree. Don't they have the Hunter to deal with? Why waste their time on us? How looks up in a tree anyways!?

"How did they even know we were up here?" Angel's brother muttered. "Who looks up into a tree?"

A uniformed cop was talking to us through a PA system. "It is unlawful to climb trees in Central Park," she repeated. "Please come down at once."

Everyone pretended to climb down all clumsy bit I just jumped and landed on me feet. "Not you again." The cop said and I smiled. "Hey ya copper."

"Okay, guys," Max said. "Get down; try to look normal. When we're on the ground, we'll make a run for it. If we get separated, connect up at, like, Fifty-fourth Street and Fifth Avenue. Comprende?"

They nodded. Emo went down first and Vanilla-blind-face felt his way down. Cool.

Angel went next, then Nudge, then Angel's brother, and Max went last.

"There are signs posted everywhere clearly stating that climbing trees is forbidden," one cop began pompously. We started to back away slowly, trying to look as if we weren't really moving. I smiled. "Long time no see officer Mega-mouth!" I said in a cheerful voice.

"Are you runaways?" asked copper mega lame. "We'll take you somewhere. You can make phone calls, call your folks." She turned to me with a frown. "And you, come on. Station time for you young lady. We've got you so now you're finally gonna be out of New York's hair." Max gave me a look that said _you two know each other_? I nodded.

Another cruiser pulled up, and two more police people got out. Then a walkie-talkie buzzed, and the first cop pulled it out to answer it.

"Now!" Max whispered, and the seven of us scattered, tearing away from them as fast as we could.

"Celeste!" I heard Angel cry, and I whirled to see her turning back to pick up her little bear. Two cops were racing toward it.

"No!" Max yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling her with me. She almost fought her, planting her feet and trying to unbend her fingers from around her wrist. Max swung her up into her arms and took off, tossing her to Emo when she reached him.

I turned back and saw donut-head pick Celeste up and I almost ran back to get it but then I saw a man come out of a cruiser and it made my heart stop. It was _him_. The guy who mutated me.

"Celeste!" Angel cried, reaching back over Emo's shoulder. "Celeste!" She sounded heartbroken, it broke me to but hearing her like that. But I couldn't go back. I was too scared to go back. Not with _him_ there. The man with the name of Jeb.

"I'll get you another one!" Max promised rashly, running so she was side by side with emo.

"I don't want another one!" she wailed, putting her arms around emo's neck and starting to cry.

"Have we lost 'em?" Angel's brother called back over his shoulder.

I looked back. Two police cars with lights and sirens were weaving through the heavy traffic toward us. Not yet we haven't.

"No!" Max called back and ran faster. We headed south-east and out of the park trying to mix with the always crowded sidewalks. Emo had put Angel down and she ran with tear leaving streaks on her face. I was about to shed my own because of the horrible memories that threatened to kill me but I stopped it. Never shall I forget that day. Never.

"Inside a store?" Emo asked, pulling up beside Max. "Then out through a back exit?"

If only we could get airborne then we'd be in business but by the look on Max's face I guessed it was a no go.

"Yeah, maybe so," Mad shot back. "Let's turn east on Fifty-first."

We did. Then we pounded down the pavement. Really fast. I almost laughed when I realized it was a one-way street going the wrong way: The cruisers would have to take a detour. Take that Megaphone-slash-teddy-stealing-jerk!

We need to find somewhere where they can't come in but we can,

"What's that?" Nudge called, pointing.

We all skidded to a halt, the way they do in cartoons. I love cartoons. In front of us was an enormous gray stone building. It soared up into the sky, all pointy and lacy on top, not like a skyscraper. More as if gray stone crystals had grown toward the sky, stretching up and thinning out as they went. There were three arched doors, with the middle one being the biggest. Yes! St. Patty's church!

"Is it a museum?" Angel's brother asked.

Max scanned for a sign. "No." Then I butted in and said. "It's Saint Patrick's Cathedral. It's a church."

"A church!" Nudge looked excited. "I've never been in one. Can we go?"

Max looked ready to give her a lectured but stopped when emo leaned over and said quietly, "Sanctuary." I opened the doors for everyone. "Trust me, they won't expect us here. They would have went to a store. I've been running from butterfinger-coppity-cop back there for years. Never caught not gonna try." They all nodded and walked right in. Max gave me a weird look like she was thanking me but still judging me by what I was. No whom.

Everyone looked around in awa and Max spotted a couple of people praying up front and she nodded to us. "Over there." We walked over and looked at the other people besides us. "What are they doing?" Angel asked. "Praying." I whispered and she nodded. "Lets pray too." Max was about to protest but she already started.

Max and Nudge talked about who they were praying too and Iggy copied Angel's brother somehow by lightly tracing his fingers across. his body.

"Dear God," said Nudge under her breath, "I want real parents. But I want them to want me too. I want them to love me. I already love them. Please see what you can do. Thanks very much. Love, Nudge."

Awe, I wish someone cared for me too but I think Nudge and everyone else deserves it more than I.

"Please get Celeste back to me," Angel whispered, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. "And help me grow up to be like Max. And keep everyone safe. And do something bad to the bad guys. They should not be able to hurt us anymore."

Amen, i said since the others weren't saying it. Max must be pretty cool for someone to pray to be like her,

Surprisingly I saw emo move his lips and pray quietly and I didn't listen in because he probably wanted it kept private.

"I want to be able to see stuff," Vanilla said. "Like I used to, when I was little. And I want to be able to totally kick Jeb's butt. Thank you." Hey, I wanna kick Jeb off a cliff. Looks like we have something in common, cool.

"God, I want to be big and strong," AB(Angel's brother) whispered, and I felt my heart break for these guys. So young yet so strong. How? I can breath wake up on my own much less breath. "So I can help Max, and other people too."

I swallowed hard, blinking fast to keep any tears from falling. What should I say. Before I could say anything Max started.

"Please help Angel about Celeste," Max started muttering, and realized I had nothing much to say. I have nothing. Everything was taken from me. "And help me be a better leader, a better person," I said, moving my lips with no sound. "Make me braver, stronger, smarter. Help me take care of the flock. Help me find some answers. Uh, thanks." Max cleared her throat.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "Dear god, if you do exist up there I pray that mom and dad are doing okay, I know sis has sinned but it was because of me. Let her be with our parents. Help these guys too. I want nothing but happiness for Max and her friends and my family in heaven. Keep them safe for me please. Amen." I had tears falling so I whipped them off. I caught Max staring at me like she was trying to find where a puzzle piece goes. To bad I don't fit anywhere.


	2. 2 Flock in the house(P2)

Trigger Warning: violence and traumatic flashback

 ** _(Crater)_**

 _I cried as I saw it all happened. Mom, dad, sissy. They killed everyone. Except me...no, no, no, "NO!" I scratched at them, blood came out. Oh yes, let them bleed. "Die!" I cried out. "Die, die, die, die, die!" I sobbed. I curled up next to my family. I have nothing more. What do you want from me!_

I blinked and saw that most of the people that were here a second ago started to leave. I saw Max's gang waiting nearby as I was laid down on one of the benches. I walked over while they talked to each other.

Max turned to emo."Should we-" She stopped suddenly and winced and shut her eyes like it hurt.

After a while, Max came back to us. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Can you walk?" Emo asked tersely. she nodded and we left out behind an Asian group. Didn't want to seem rude by assuming where they're from.

As soon as we were away from the crowd, Max stopped. "I saw Thirty-first Street, in my head," She said. "And a bunch of numbers."

"Which means..." Vanilla prompted.

"I don't know," Max admitted. "Maybe the Institute is on Thirty-first Street?"

"That would be nice," said Emo. "East or west?"

"I don't know."

"Did you see anything else?" he asked patiently.

"Well, a bunch of numbers," Max said again. "And a tall, kind of greenish building."

"We should just walk all the way down Thirty-first Street," said Nudge. "The whole way, looking for that building. Right? I mean, if that's the building you saw, maybe it was for a good reason. Or did you see a whole lot of buildings or a whole city, or what?"

"Just that building," Max said. Some eyes turned to me but I was having a brain block. Like something wasn't letting me tell them what I know I'm supposed to know by heart. I shook my head. "I feel so useless, I can even remember one stupid building," I grumbled and Vanilla put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry," he whispered quietly and quickly into my ear. "I feel that way too. I can't really tell where everything I with all this noise around us. I'm Iggy by the way." I nodded. "Well, you already know my name, if you want I can be your guide. You know help you see in a way." He paused thinking about it before nodding. "Sure." I nodded and I wrapped my arm around his and he tensed.

I laughed. "It's okay, so it doesn't look too obvious that you're blind. People with start to give you pity and I'm guessing you hate that." He looked at me surprised. Then nodded. "Thanks."

"So do we have money? I hope?" the Gasman(he told me his name too, also Fang's...who I called emo)asked as we passed by Mark who's a street vendor selling Polish sausage.

"Maybe," Max said, pulling out the bank card. "What do you think?" Max asked Fang. "Should we try this?"

"Well, we need money, for sure," he said. "But it might be a trap, a way for them to track where we are and what we're doing."

"Yeah." Max frowned.

I saw Max concentrate hard on something. Then she made a WTF face and growled under her breath muttering a couple of swear words.

Max looked around thinking probably about a game plan. I tapped Max's shoulder still holding onto Iggy and describing stuff for him. Max looked at me confused and I pointed at a nearby ATM. She took a deep breath and swerved over to it. She swiped the card and punched in "maxride."

Nada.

Next She tried out: 14, 11, 8, 6.

Wrong.

She even tried typing in "password." What the?

Wrong. The machine shut down and told us to call customer service.

We kept walking. In a way, it was like we were deliberately slowing ourselves down, to give us time to buck up for the Institute. Or at least, that's what I think we were doing,

"What about, like, the first initial of all of our names?" Gasman suggested.

"Maybe it's something like 'givememoney,' " Nudge said.

Max smiled at her. "It has to be shorter than that." I laughed, "It'd be great though."

Ahead of me, I saw little Angel dragging her feet a bit. I tapped Iggy twice meaning walk a bit faster and we did. I came up behind her and I put my hand on her little head. She looked up at me with determined blue eyes. "Its gonna be fine Ange, I can feel what you feel. I'll be like your shield kiddo." She looked at me surprised and nodded. I smiled at her and then tapped once for walk normal and explained to Iggy why we speed up.

If I could, I would take all of everyone's pain and misery and put it into me so everyone could be happy.

In the next block, at a different ATM, Max tried the first initials of all our names: "MFINGAC." Nope.

She tried "School" and "Maximum."

It told us to call customer service.

Farther on, She had keyed in "Fang."

"Iggy," and "Gasman."

In the next block, She tried "Nudge" and "Angel," then on a lark She tried today's date.

They really wanted Max to call customer service. Or maybe the password was a series of numbers. That would take forever.

Max looked deep in thought. Then she stopped in front of the next ATM but shook her head in frustration. "I don't know what to do," she admitted like it hurt her to say it. I mean she is the fearless leader.

Angel looked up tiredly, her blue eyes sad. "Why don't you try 'mother'?" she asked and started tracing a crack on the sidewalk with the toe of her sneaker.

"Why do you think that?" Max asked, surprised.

She shrugged and reached out to hug her bear but then remembered and let her hand fall limply at her sides. I let go of Iggy and hugged her and stroked her hair. "Use the shield to protect from harm, fight the monster with battle and arms."

Fang and Max exchanged glances, then She slowly swiped the bank card and punched in the numbers that would spell out "mother."

What kind of transaction do you want to make? the screen asked.

Speechless, She withdrew two hundred dollars and zipped it into her inside pocket.

"How did you know that?" Fang asked Angel. His tone was neutral, but tension showed in his walk.

Angel shrugged again, her small shoulders drooping. Even her curls looked limp and sad. "It just came to me," she said. I went back to Iggy as we continued walking.

"In a voice?" Max asked.

She shook her head no. "The word was just in my head. I don't know why."

A few more blocks and we turned left, walking toward the East River. I took a steady breath. The closer we got the more terrified I was. If the Institue these kids were looking for held info of everyone's past they can look into mine and see me for what I really truly am. What I was created to be. A true monster.

"I wonder what the Institute is like," Nudge said nervously. "I guess it's like the School. Will we have to break in? How do they hide the Erasers from all the normal people? What kind of files on us do you think they have? Like actual parent names, you think?"

"For God's sake, Nudge, my ears are bleeding!" Iggy said and I lightly hit him gently,

Her sweet face shut down, and Max put her arm around her shoulders briefly. "I know you're worried," She said softly. "I am too."

She smiled at Max, and then I saw it: 433 East Thirty-first Street.

Now I know why I've been brain blocked, this is where they kept sissy. Mom dad. The sound of sirens flooded my ears and I put my hands over them to shut the sound out. No, no, no! I just found a way of life here! Please don't take it away from me! Iggy tugged on my sleeve. I didn't respond, I was too busy blocking it all out. He shook my shoulders and I came back. "S-sorry, kinda got lost in an annoying argument with myself about thinking if this was a good idea 'n all." He nodded and I described the building for him.

"The building is tall, maybe forty-five stories, and had a greenish facade, kind of old-fashioned looking."

"Is this it?" Iggy asked. We all turned to Max.

"Yep," Max said. "Are we ready?"

"Aye, Captain!" Iggy said firmly and saluted.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. Iggy gave me a smile. I smiled back.

We marched up the steps and pushed through revolving doors. "Inside, the lobby has a nice coat of polished wood, brass, and big tropical plants. The floor is nice 'n smooth, uh granite tiles." Ig nodded.

"Here," said Fang softly, pointing to a large display board behind glass. It listed all the offices and companies in the building, and their floors and room numbers. I signaled Max down before she could speak and I walked right up and used my no perfect charm.

"Excuse me," I said politely. "Are there any other companies in this building that aren't on the board?"

"No." The receptionist looked us over, then went back to typing something incredibly urgent-like her resume for another job. We turned away just as the receptionist made a sound of surprise. Glancing back, I saw that her computer screen had cleared. "What in hot-flaming-Cheetos's-name?" I heard myself say.

There's a pot of gold beneath every rainbow, filled her laptop screen in big red letters. The message broke up into smaller letters that then scrolled across the screen over and over, filling it. What the? Then suddenly Max had an idea and walked up to the receptionist and asked."Does this building have a basement?"

The receptionist frowned at her and looked us over again with a harder gaze.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What do you want?" She lifted her chin and caught the eye of the security guard. Were they Hunters? They definitely could be Hunters. This whole building might be full of despicable wolfmen.

"Never mind," Max muttered, pushing us toward the revolving doors. The security guard was already on our tails, and just as we all got through, Max jammed a ballpoint pen into the door channel. The guard was trapped inside one section and started throwing his weight against the glass. I smiled at her. "Not bad Captin', not bad indeed." She smiled at me. "Not bad yourself."

My lungs were burning. Did we lose 'em? About six blocks later, we slowed to a walk. No one seemed to be following us, no cop cars had emerged from the traffic, no sign of Hunters. suddenly I noticed that I was still holding Iggy's arm, but during the run my hand slipped into his. I blushed and was so glad he couldn't see me and I let go.

With no warning, Gasman turned and punched a mailbox. "This sucks!" he yelled. "Nothing ever goes right! We get hassled everywhere! Max's head is busted, Angel lost Celeste, we're all hungry-I hate this! I hate everything!"

Stunned, I could only just stand there and watch as the others tried to comfort him, its all my fault. I bet this whole operation would have gone better without me.

Crap. Time for me to take my leave, I left everyone and Iggy wouldn't notice since I had let go earlier. Goodbye guys. Never again shall you fall, only rise up. Rise up my friends. And farewell.

I left and looked back one last time and saw Gazzy looking happier as Max talked to him. I really am a jinx. I caught Iggy not even noticing my absence. See ya Vanilla cone. I walked a couple of blocks then ran to central. It seemed better there. Climbing trees are fun. I then remembered Angel. I ran to the tree we were in when we lost Angel's teddy and I climbed it hoping to find it there. Nothing, oh right, the cops took the bear. I sighed and took a nap. Note to self: sleep in trees more often.

Suddenly I was awoken by the sound of glass breaking and screams. I jumped off the tree I was in and saw something break the glass of a restaurant nearby. Trouble. Six things flew out of the red glass roof and I opened my own owl wings and flew after this troublemakers. Jerks, who do they heck do they think they are wreaking my city up like Miley Cryrus?!

Whoever it was made a big circle and headed north landing in a maple. Before I came up to them I noticed men, Hunters comping at them. Double trouble. I landed even closer to them. No one noticed. The main Hunter was a guy in his early 20s. Had a scar on his left eye. He had Angel's teddy. Before I could kill him Angel suddenly drops from the maple and told him something. He dropped the bear and Angel picked it up. I ran over or flew if you wanna be specific, to them just as the others were ready to attack. I pulled up my hood from my night black hoodie, my skinny jeans kinda stretched out from all the running and morphing. My shoes hugged my feet with my socks and I let my instincts run wild.

I kicked the main on in the face just as he raised his hand to stop his troop of killers. He was on the floor but I wasn't stopping there. As he slowly fell to the ground(well it looked slow to me because I was created to track quickly and be the ultimate hunter of all) I kicked him hard on the gut and then karate chopped him back down. I got on my hands and spun as my legs kicked most of the men down but one lunged at me so I pushed myself off the ground with my hands, thank God for push-ups. And he dove right under me and looked up and I twist in mid-air and punched his face as hard as I could to the ground. He was out like a light but the others started to get up. The leader had a bit of blood coming out of his mouth. They melted into the shadows and left without another word.

I felt something hug my leg so I looked down and saw Angel hugging me. I smiled and pulled off my hood and hugged her back. Max and everyone one else jumped out of the tree and looked at me surprised. Except for Iggy cause he still can't see. Gazzy came up to me and smiled big. "Crater that was so awesome, you were like a ninja." He started making poor ninja moves and weird sound effects but I laughed and ruffled his hair anyways.

Iggy and the rest hugged me, well it was an awkward hug but a hug is a hug. I laughed. "Now which one of you would like to explain why I was the top of Hamlet's being blown off?" I asked and they all shuffled their feet awkwardly. I just laughed it off. "It's okay, didn't really like the manager, his a total hog." Everyone laughed and smiled. I can cause joy?

Max and everyone let me join them again and Iggy tapped my shoulder. "Where did you go? You went missing after Gazzy punched the mailbox." I looked at him surprised. "You noticed?!" He nodded. "You're not as quiet on the ground as you are in the air. I couldn't even tell you were there." I laughed. "I felt bad that all this bad stuff was happing to you lil' scamps so I figured karma was just spillin' out of me by the gallon wherever I went so I left. The air thing, well I told ya didn't I. When we first met. I'm avian too, owl wings." He nodded and wrapped his arm around mine. Nudge and Gazzy made kissing noises and Gazzy sounded pretty on point. I blushed and I looked over at Iggy and he just ignored them so I did the same.

We settled on the top floor of a ninety-story apartment building that was being built on the Upper East Side. The first seventy or so floors had been windowed in, but up here it was just an empty shell with piles of dry wall and insulation. Huge gaping holes gave us a great view of the East River and Central Park.

Nudge and Max went to a local grocery store, then schlepped three heavy bags of groceries back to us. It was breezy up in our area but private and safe. We watched the last of the sun go down and ate. I felt calm and cool, describing as much detail as I could to Iggy. He nodded taking it all in.

"I'm tired," Angel said. "I want to go to bed."

"Yeah, let's try to get some sleep," Max said. "It's been a long, relatively yucky day." Max held out her left fist and everyone joined in. Well except me, I felt like I was intruding in a way of life I wasn't welcomed in. Angel got her tiny frost out of the stack and grabbed him and put it on the team pile. Everyone smiled at me, Angeline put her fiat on mine and smiled. I smiled back.

The Gasman, Max, and I helped cleared construction debris away, and Iggy and Fang moved stacks of drywall to make windbreaks. In the end, we had a cozy space, and the gang was asleep within ten minutes.

 _I smiled up at my parents as they told me that we would finally get to see my aunt and uncle. Dad smiled. "Trust me, sweetie. Your aunt is the best sister a guy could as for. Quiet like a ninja but such a marshmallow." I laughed. "I like marshmallows." Mom laughed. I hugged them both. "But not as much as you guys!" Sissy laughed. "Hey don't_ I _get a hug!?" I giggled and hugged her too._

 _I loved my perfect family. Dad was a wolf and mommy was a bird. Sissy and I were both! Sis was blind but that didn't stop her! No way sir. She's the bestest sister ever. I wrapped my arm around sis's and we all walked together since daddy doesn't like driving. Besides, Auntie was just a few flying miles away. We could handle it. If we all helped carry daddy._

 _I laughed as sissy poked my belly. "Stop it!" I giggled as she poked me again. Mom laughed and stopped my sister. "Come on now Terren. Stop poking your sister." Dad laughed. "Oh let '_ _em have some fun dear. They're just playing!"_

 _A few more houses and we'd fly off like superheroes. Then a man took daddy and mommy into a building out of nowhere and sis looked around startled. "What's happening?! Where mom and dad?!" I looked around not knowing myself. "I-I don't know!" Suddenly someone grabbed us from behind and hurt us by pushing us to a wall. "Crater what's going on!" Sis cried and I looked around and started crying. Mommy and daddy were on the floor now, blood. Blood inked the floor. I was too scared to talk. They took sissy because I was too slow then-_

I bolted upwards. I took gasping breaths and a hand over my heart and another on my skull, I felt around for bullet holes. Nothing, I gulped and tried to calm down. Shoot I'm all sweaty. The sun wasn't even up but it was slowly rising. I looked at it, well not directly at it since that would hurt. No, the nightmare. Its been haunting me no matter how far I go it will always be with me. I closed my eyes, all I could hear was the light traffic that was starting to build up. If you can drive in New York trust me, you can drive anywhere.

I took a deep breath. The wind lightly pushed strands of my dark brown hair out of my way. I reopened my blue eyes. I looked in one of the windows up here. It reflected almost like a mirror. My crazy freckles all over from one check to the other. Like a line of millions of them. My hair is starting to get long again so best cut it than let it get in my way. I had a small scar from a paper clip on my upper lip. It's unnoticeable but if you look really hard you can see it.

I noticed Fang getting up. But faked being asleep when he saw me. I sat criss-cross on the floor and meditated. It's like getting five more minutes but you're awake. Breath in. And out. In. Out. I got up and stretched. Might as well warm up everything else in case I cramp up in the mists of battle. I saw Fang watching me from the corner of my eye. I picked up some heavy steel and used it as dung bells. And one and two and one and two. It felt weird just having someone stare at you and not say anything.

I looked over at Fang, he didn't flinch when I caught him staring. I gave him the end of a pipe. "Wanna join in?" He shook his head. I shrugged and went back to my morning routine. Soon I had nothing to do so I sat back down and had a staring contest with Fang. Thankfully Iggy woke up. "What time is it?" He complained and I looked at the sky. "'Bout 8-ish. Why?" He groaned and went back to sleep. I started to goof off with the scraps of metal I found on the floor. With only my hands I bent it into a big metal rock. Soon everyone but Max was up.

"Breakfast?" I offered and they all nodded. Fang got some cash and we went back down and onto the streets no problem. We walked around but then I stopped and tapped Iggy. He nodded his head. "Newspapers. You guys are on the front page. Big headline. Oh, Ask Dr. Joe is back in. It says here they a lady lost her husband to a stranger on their street." Iggy rolled his eyes. "What does the headline about us say?" The others stopped walking and we just hung out by the small boxes fuller with papers as I read out loud.

"Miracle or Illusion? Superhumans or Genetic Freaks?"

Iggy let out a dry laugh. "They don't know how close they are with that one." We headed back to the rooftop after we took as many papers as we could get our hands on. Cliche, yeah kinda but as long as fewer people know about these guys the better.

Once we got back we woke up Max with food. She blinked and yawned and looked confused at the newspaper and breakfast we gave her. "We got breakfast," Fang said, taking a bite of muffin. "You were out for the count."

Max took a bite of muffin, then I realized everyone was really tense about the papers. "What else?" Max asked.

Fang nodded toward the newspapers.

"I figured you got 'em for the comics," She said, pulling the pile closer.

We all had gotten four different papers, and fuzzy pictures of them swooping gaily around the Garden Tavern were on every front page.

"Saw them when we were out," Fang explained, draining his juice. "Guess we better lie low for a while."

"Yes, thank you, Tonto," Max said irritably. I'm guessing her now irritated look came from Fang. It is kinda annoying not having all the info and just in a broken up sentence. Under a blurry photo, it said, "No one has taken credit for what may be this year's most unusual stunt..."

Max looked seriously stressed out. I patted her back and she looked at me like WTF. I smiled. "Don't worry Max, It'll be fine I swear."

"Maybe we could wear disguises," the Gasman suggested.

"Yeah, like glasses and funny noses," Angel agreed.

Max smiled at them. "You think?" I laughed. "You guys think I should go big noes or mustache?" I said trying to lighten the mood. Everyone laughed. Max just gave me a small smile and rolled her eyes. Fang just scoffed but that was good enough for me.

That afternoon, we had to venture out to get food again. Six pairs of glasses with funny noses hadn't materialized, so we went as is. At the nearest deli, we stocked up on sandwiches, drinks, chips, cookies, anything we could carry and eat at the same time.

"So I'm thinking we should leave the city as soon as it gets dark," Max said to Fang.

He nodded. "Where to?"

"Not too far," She said. "I'm still bent on getting to the bottom of the Institute, so to speak. Maybe upstate a bit? Or somewhere by the ocean?"

"You!"

Max recoiled and dropped her soda as a young guy with a mohawk haircut jumped in front of us. Nudge bumped into her, and Fang went very still.

"You guys are perfect!" he said excitedly. What?

"Perfect for what?" Fang asked with deadly calm. Scary.

The guy waved a skinny tattooed arm at a storefront. Its sign said, U 'Do: Tomorrow's styles today.

"We're having a makeover fest!" the guy explained, sounding like we had just won a million dollars. "You guys can have total makeovers for free as long as your stylist gets to do whatever he or she wants."

"Like what?" Nudge asked with interest.

"Makeup, hairstyle, everything!" the guy promised ecstatically. "Except tattoos. We'd need a note from your parents."

"So that's out," Max said under my breath.

"I want to do it!" Nudge said. "It sounds so fun! Can we do it, Max? I want a makeover!"

"Uh..." Max saw a couple teenage girls emerging from U 'Do. They looked wild. I bet their own friends wouldn't have recognized them. Then again I wouldn't recognize them even if I saw them every day.

"I'm up for it," Max said briskly, as Fang's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Max gave him a meaningful look. "We'd love to be made over. Make us look completely different." Oh, I get it. A disguise. I tapped her shoulder after I explained what just happened to Iggy. "So the glasses and noses are out?" She just rolled her eyes.

 **(Max)**

"That is so cool," Nudge said approvingly as I turned to let her see the back of my new jean jacket. Of course, I would have to cut huge slits in it to let my wings out, but other than that, it was great.

I looked at her and grinned. She looked so not Nudge, I was still startled every time I saw her. Her dark brown super curly hair had been blow-dried perfectly straight and cut in layers. Then they'd streaked it with blond highlights. The difference was incredible-she'd gone from scruffy adolescent to slightly short fashion model in under an hour. I'd never noticed that she had the potential to be gorgeous when she grew up. If she grew up.

"Check this out!" The Gasman had outfitted himself in camouflage, down to his sneakers.

"Okay by me," I said, giving him a thumbs-up.

In this barnlike secondhand shop, we were in the process of completing our total physical transformation. Some of Gazzy's pale blond hair had been bleached white. They'd spiked it with gel and colored just the spiky tips bright blue. The sides were super short.

"I still wish you'd let me get 'Bite Me' shaved into the back of my head," he complained.

"No," I said, straightening his collar.

"Iggy got his ear pierced."

"Nein," I said.

"But everyone does it!" he said in a perfect imitation of his stylist.

"O-nay."

He made an exasperated sound and went over by Fang, whose hair had been cut short also, except for one long chunk that flopped over in front of his eyes. It had been highlighted with several mottled tan shades and now it looked exactly like a hawk's plumage. Quelle coinky-dink. In this store, he'd exchanged his basic black ensemble for a slightly different basic black ensemble.

"I like this," said Angel, holding up something froufrou. I'd already outfitted her in new cargo pants and a T-shirt, and she'd picked out a fluffy blue fleece jacket.

"Um," I said, looking at it.

"It's so pretty, Max," she coaxed. "Please?"

I wondered if I would be able to tell if she was putting thoughts into my head. Her eyes were wide and innocent looking.

"And Celeste really likes it too," Angel added.

"The thing is, Angel," I said, "I'm not sure how practical tutus are given how much we're on the run and all."

She looked at the tutu and frowned. "I guess."

"We ready?" Iggy asked with a touch of impatience. "Not that I don't adore shopping."

"You look like you stuck your finger in a light socket," the Gasman said.

Iggy's strawberry-blond hair was spiked like Gazzy's and tipped with black on the ends.

"Really?" Iggy asked. "Cool!" He'd gotten his ear pierced before I'd noticed: His thin gold wire loop was the only thing I'd had to pay for.

My stylist had picked up my long braid and simply whacked it off. Now my hair floated in feathery layers. No more hair getting in my eyes when I flew. No spitting wisps out of my mouth in the middle of an escape.

Not only that, but they'd streaked it with chunky strands of hot pink and, despite my protest, gave me makeup. So now I looked both totally different and about twenty years old. Being five-eight helped.

Iggy looked around confused. "Where's Crater?" He asked and suddenly it dawned on me that we were missing one. We all heard a small voice from behind a shelf of clothes say. "Guys, I'm right here." Angel tried to look around the shelf but a pale hand would stick out and stop her from looking. "No, wait!" She cried out, "I look freaking ridiculous! I can't believe y'all let 'em do this to meh too." She complained. Now everyone wanted to see new Crater. "Aw come on Crater," Iggy said. "I wanna see how you look!" She ran around everyone too quick for us to see her but I noticed a flash of blue. "Guys I look ridiculous I jus' said so. I don't wanna be seen lookin' this goofy." Her southern accent thickening.

We all pleaded to see her and soon she gave in when Angle begged her with a pretty please. At first, all we could see was her nose but soon came out a whole new person, they had shaved one side of her head and combed her hair and cut it. They combed it over to the side that wasn't shaved and dyed the tips from blue to white. She wore a black headband keeping her hair up a bit. Her sea green eyes and freckles worked nicely. Instead of her all-black attire, she wore a pair of brown sandals and khaki shorts. A red hoodie was wrapped around her waist and she had a black tank top and a blue band on her biceps.

She blushed a deep red and rubbed one arm. "Ya know it'd be less awkward if y'all stopped starin' at meh." Iggy shook his head. "I think you look fine." He said and I rolled my eyes. Crater, on the other hand, turned bright scarlet. "I look ridiculous," She paused then looked miffed. "Do you really have to do that?" I tried to keep a straight face and so did the others. We walked around town and a handful of people would whistle at Crater and she would hide behind either Fang or Iggy but it would fail since she was taller than both of them. How tall is she!? Six feet? Six-five?

"There's a little park up here," Crater said, pointing.

I nodded. It would be darker than the street, and we'd have enough room to take off. Five minutes later, we were rising above the city, leaving the lights and noise and energy behind. It felt fabulous to stretch my wings out, stroking hard, feeling so much faster and smoother and cooler than I did on the ground.

Just for fun, I flew in huge, banking arcs, taking deep breaths, enjoying the feel of my newly weightless hair. The stylist had called it "wind-tossed."

If only she knew.

Up this high, I could clearly see the outline of Manhattan. Right across the East River was Long Island, which was much, much bigger than New York City. We flew above its coast as the sun went down, barely able to see the curly ridges of white-capped waves breaking along the shore.

After an hour and a half, we saw a long stretch of black beach with few lights, which meant few people. Fang nodded at me, and we aimed downward, enjoying the heady rush of losing altitude. Roller coasters had nothing on us.

"Looks good," Fang said, scoping out the beach after we landed on the soft sand. It was undeveloped, with no attached parking lots. Huge boulders sealed off both ends, so it seemed even safer. Plus, other large boulders formed a natural outcropping that created a bit of shelter maybe thirty yards inland. Crater had joined the group and it felt like she was fitting in just fine for an eraser.

She looked around in awe and when a wave hit her feet she flinched. Nudge laughed. "You don't like water Crater?" Crater shook her head. "It's not that I don't like it it's just that I'm not used to it. Never really been outside the city." She smiled and looked around and Iggy put his hand in hers. Wait, what?! She started to describe everything to him. Weird, they did this in the city too.

"Home, sweet home," I said drily, taking off my new backpack.

I rummaged in it for food, passed out what we had, and sank down on a large chunk of driftwood. Twenty minutes later, we stacked fists, tapped, and then curled up in the sand beneath the outcropping.

I winced slightly as the Voice drifted into my head. _Time to learn_ , it said.

Then I was pulled into unconsciousness as if getting dragged beneath a wave. Dimly, I heard bits of foreign languages that I didn't understand, and the Voice said, _This is on a need-to-know basis, Max. You need to know._

The ocean. Another new and incredible experience. We'd grown up in lab cages until four years ago when Jeb had stolen us. Then we'd been in hiding, avoiding new experiences at all costs.

Now we were doing something different every day. It was a trip.

"A crab!" the Gasman yelled, pointing at the surf by his feet. Angel ran over to see, holding Celeste so her back paws barely touched the water. It tried to pinch her toes so Crater lifted it off the ground but it pinched her nose and she ran around like a goof trying to get it off. Ouch.

"Cookie?" Iggy asked, holding out a bag.

"Don't mind if I do," I said. This morning I had toned down my appearance a tad, then Nudge and I had hit the closest town. We'd stocked up on supplies at a mom-and-pop store that sold their own fresh homemade cookies.

My mission, and I chose to accept it, was to find chocolate-chip cookies as good as the ones I'd made with Ella and her mom. So I'd brought back a couple dozen.

I took a bite of cookie and chewed. "Hmm," I said, trying not to spit crumbs. "Clear vanilla notes, too-sweet chocolate chips, distinct flavor of brown sugar. A decent cookie, not spectacular. Still, a good-hearted cookie, not pretentious." I turned to Fang. "What say you?"

"It's fine."

Some people just don't have what it takes to appreciate a cookie.

"I give them a seven out of ten," I pressed on dutifully. "Though warm from the oven, they lack a certain je ne sais quoi. My mission will continue."

Iggy laughed and rummaged in a bag for an apple.

Nudge ran up, her clothes wet past her knees. "This place is so cool," she said. "I love the ocean! I want to be a scientist who studies the ocean when I grow up. I would go out to sea, and scuba dive, and find new things, and National Geographic will hire me."

Sure, Nudge. Probably around the same time I become president.

Nudge ran back to the water, and Iggy got up and ambled after her.

"They're happy here," Fang said, looking at them.

I nodded. "What's not to like? Fresh air, peace and quiet, the ocean. Too bad we can't stay here."

Fang was quiet for a moment. "What if we were safe here?" he asked. "Like, we just knew no one would come hassle us. Would you want to stay?"

I was surprised. "We have to find the Institute," I said. "And if we find out anything, the others will want to track down their parents. And then, do we find Jeb and confront him? And who's the Director? Why did they do this to us? Why do they keep telling me I'm supposed to save the world?"

Fang held up his hand, and I realized my voice had been rising.

"What if," Fang said slowly, not looking at me, "what if we just forgot about all that?"

My jaw dropped open. You live with someone your whole life, you think you know them, and then they go and drop a bomb like this. "What are you-" I started to say, but then the Gasman ran up with a live hermit crab, which he plopped in my lap, and then Angel wanted lunch. I didn't have a chance to grab Fang's shoulders and yell, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Fang?"

Crater ran over with murder on her face as the crab tried to escape. She ended up chasing it and then grabbed an impossibility large rock that should have just fallen on her since she looked like she couldn't hole up a feather but she did so anyway. Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, and Angel all had to use all their strength to stop her from killings the crab.

Maybe later.

The next morning, Fang came back from town and placed the New York Post at my feet with a little bow. I flipped through the paper. On page six, I saw "Mysterious Bird-Children Nowhere to Be Found."

"Well, good for us," I said. "We've gone two days without causing a huge commotion in a public place and getting our pictures splashed all over the news."

"We're going swimming!" Nudge said, tapping Iggy's hand twice. He got up and followed her, Angle, and Gazzy down to the water. Crater went over to supervise but soon was thrown into the water.

The sun was shining, and though the ocean was still pretty cold, it didn't bother them. I was glad they were having this little vacation, where they could just have fun and eat and swim without stressing out about everything.

I was still stressing, of course.

Next to me, Fang read the paper, absently working his way through a can of peanuts. I watched the younger kids playing in the water. Iggy started a sand castle, built by touch, just out of reach of the waves. Crater chased Gazzy, Nudge, and Angle around like a mom would do with her kids.

What bugged me is that how come Crater hasn't attacked anyone yet. She could take us all down at once if she wanted. She's stronger than all of us combined including Erasers, she faster than us, she's like a ninja, she's also part Eraser and part bird kid so what's the hold-up? She's so gentle and happy-go-lucky. Like a kid. Was she born or made? And she seems to lack the Eraser charm where they all look like movie stars. There was no evil in her eyes either. She was just a big cuddly fluff ball. But then again deep inside her was an eraser but I don't think she would attack us. She had multiple chances but best not believe too quickly.

Speaking of Erasers how come they hadn't found us yet? Sometimes they tracked us so easily, and other times, like now, we seemed to be truly hidden. Did I have a homing signal in my implanted chip or not? If I did, why weren't the Erasers here by now? It was like they were just toying with us, keeping us on our toes, like a game...

Like a game. Like a freaking game.

Just like Jeb had said back at the School. Just like the Voice kept telling me, that everything was a game, that you learn through playing, that everything, every single thing, was a test.

I felt like a neon sign had just lit up right in front of my face. For the first time, I finally, finally understood that this all might be a huge, twisted, sick, important game.

And I had been cast as a major player.

I sifted coarse sand through my fingers, thinking hard. Okay. If this was a game, were there only two sides? Were there any double agents?

I opened my mouth to blurt my thoughts out to Fang but stopped. He glanced at me, his dark eyes curious, and suddenly I felt a cold dread. I dropped my gaze, feeling my cheeks heat.

What if we weren't all on the same team?

Part of me felt ashamed for even having that thought, and part of me remembered how many times my adorable paranoia had saved our butts. Crater could be a double agent. She looks nice enough but you never know.

I glanced out at the water, where Angel was splashing the Gasman and laughing. She dove beneath the surface, and Gazzy started chasing her. Crater sat by Iggy and watched everyone play around. A happy smile on her face. She started to draw in the sand, someone's face, a girl. The waves kept taking the picture away and I think I saw a tear roll down her cheek. Angle...

Had Angel been different since we'd gotten her back from the School? I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. It was all too much. If I couldn't trust these five people, then my life wasn't worth living.

"Your head hurt?" Fang asked with quiet alertness.

Sighing, I shook my head no, then looked back at the ocean. I depended on Fang. I needed him. I had to be able to trust him.

Did I?

Gazzy was staring at the surface of the water, turning this way and that, seeming confused. Then he looked up at me, panic on his face.

Angel hadn't come back up. She was still under water. Crater got up as quick as a wink with a new look in her eyes. Like something was happing and none of us could see it.

I started running.

"Angel!" I yelled, plunging into the water. I reached Gazzy and grabbed his shoulder. "Where did she go down?"

"Right here!" he said. "She dove that way! I saw her go under." Crater dove right in and came back up for a second and took a lung full of air and went back under. Fear was all I saw.

Fang splashed in behind me, and Nudge and Iggy made their way over. The five of us peered into the cold grey-blue water, able to see only a few inches down. A wave broke over us.

"This would be an excellent time for one of us to develop X-ray vision," I muttered, a cold hand closing around my heart. I felt the strong tug of an underwater current pulling at my legs, saw how the wind was rippling the water out to sea.

"Angel!" Nudge yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Angel!" I shouted, wading through the water, taking big strides, praying I would brush against her. Crater came back up and I saw that her eyes were now red and puffy. Was she crying? We literally _just_ met and she was already crying over one of us.

Fang was sweeping his arms through the water, his face close to the surface. We fanned out, squinting from the sun's glare, taking turns diving into the surf.

My throat closed, and I felt like I would choke. My voice was a strangled rasp; my eyes stung from the glare and the salt.

We had covered a big circle, maybe thirty yards out, and still, there was no sign of her. My Angel. I glanced back at the shore as if I would see her walking out onto the sand toward Celeste, who waited for her by a piece of driftwood.

Endless minutes ticked by. Crater started to take longer and longer underwater and soon came back up gasping for breath. She went back under. Why isn't she giving up? If she wanted us dead she could kill us now, while we're vulnerable trying to save Angel.

I could feel the undertow pulling at my whole body. I couldn't stop picturing Angel's body being pulled out to sea, her eyes wide with terror. Had we come so far only to lose her now?

"Do you see anything?" I cried to Fang. He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the water, sweeping his arms back and forth.

Once again, we swept the whole area, taking in every detail of the water, the beach, the open sea. And did it again. And again. Crater started to panic. "I was supposed to keep watch," I heard her say in a hunted whisper like she was remembering something like this happing to her. "I can't lose another." She dove back in.

I saw something and blinked, then looked harder. What was-was it-oh, God! Hundreds of yards away, a small, wet cornrowed head popped out of the water. I stared. Angel stood up in waist-high water and waved at us.

My knees almost buckled. I had to catch myself before I did a face-plant in the water.

Angel and I surged toward each other, the others catching up.

"Angel," I could barely whisper, unbelieving when I was finally close enough. "Angel, where were you?"

"Guess what?" she said happily. "I can breathe underwater!" Crater came back up and when she saw Angel she muttered a prayer. I grabbed Angel into my arms, hugging her wet, chilly body against me. "Angel," I murmured, trying not to cry, "I thought you had drowned! What were you doing?"

She wriggled closer, and I steered her to shore. We collapsed on the wet sand, and I saw the Gasman fighting back tears too.

"I was just swimming," Angel said, "and I accidentally swallowed some water and started to choke. But I didn't want Gazzy to find me. We were playing hide-and-seek," she explained. "Underwater. So I just stayed under, and then I realized that I could sort of swallow water and stay under and not choke."

"What do you mean, swallow water?" I asked.

"I just swallow it and then go like this." Angel blew air out of her nose, and I almost laughed at the face she made.

"It comes out your nose?" Fang asked.

"No," Angel said. "I don't know where the water goes. But air comes out my nose."

I looked at Fang. "She's extracting oxygen from the water."

"Can you show us?" Fang asked. Angel got up and trotted to the shore. She plunged in when the water was waist high. I was inches away from her, determined she wasn't going to get lost again, even for a second. Crater did the same. She even had her hands out ready.

Angel knelt down, took a big mouthful of water, and stood up. She seemed to swallow it, then blew air out of her nose. My eyes bulged until I thought they'd just fall out: Rivulets of seawater were seeping out of invisible pores on each side of Angel's neck.

"Holy moly," the Gasman breathed.

Crater explained to Iggy what was happening, and he whistled, impressed.

"And I can do it and stay under and just keep swimming," Angel said. She wiggled her shoulders, unfolding her wings so they could dry in the bright sunlight.

"I bet I can do it too!" the Gasman said. " 'Cause we're siblings."

He dropped down into the water and scooped up a big mouthful. Then he swallowed it, trying to blow out air.

He gagged, then choked and started coughing violently. Seawater streamed out his nose, and he gagged again and almost barfed. Crater ran over and patted his back.

"You okay?" I asked when he had finally shuddered to a halt.

He nodded, looking wet, miserable, nauseated.

"Iggy," I said, "touch Angel's neck and see if you can feel anything, those pores that water comes through."

Like a feather, Iggy skimmed his fingertips over her fair skin, all around her neck. "I can't feel a thing," he said, which surprised me.

So we all had to try it, just in case. No one except Angel could do it. I'll spare you the revolting details, but let me just say that's one stretch of ocean you won't catch me swimming in for a while. Of course, Crater didn't even dare try. She just stared at the water blankly. "What do I do?" She said again. Iggy explained what to do. She nodded and took in a huge mouthful and swallowed. She spit it right back out and made this dog-whimpering noise.

So Angel could breathe underwater. Our abilities kept unfolding, as if certain things had been programmed to come out at different times, like when we reached certain ages. In a way, it felt like being kinged in checkers-all of a sudden you had more strength, more power than you had before. How weird.

 _Not weird, Max_ , my Voice suddenly chimed in. _Divine. And brilliant. You six are works of art. Enjoy it._

Well, I would, I thought bitterly, If I wasn't so busy running for my life all the time. Jeez. Works of art or freaks? Glass half empty, glass half full. Like I wouldn't give up my wings in a second to have a regular life with regular parents and regular friends.

A tinkling laugh sounded in my head. _Come on,_ Max said the Voice. _You and I both know that isn't true. A regular family and a regular life would bore you to tears._ "Who asked you?" I said angrily. "Asked me what?" said Nudge, looking up in surprise. "Nothing," I muttered. And there you have it. Some people get cool abilities like reading minds and breathing underwater, and some people get annoying voices locked inside their head. Lucky me. Wait, can Crater do anything?

 _What do you wish you could do, Max?_ asked the Voice. _If you could do anything?_

Hmm. I hadn't thought about it. I mean, I could already fly. Maybe I would want to be able to read minds, like Angel. But then I would know what everyone thought, like if someone really didn't like me but acted like they did. But if I could do anything?

 _Maybe you would want to be able to save the world_ , the Voice said. _Did you ever think of that?_

No. I frowned. Leave that to the grown-ups. Crater gave me a puzzled look but then shook her head and watch Angel like a hawk. _But grown-ups are the ones destroying the world_ , the Voice said. _Think about it._

"Look who's come to the seashore."

The low voice, smooth and full of menace, woke me from sleep that night. My body tightened like a longbow and I tried to jump up, only to be held down by a big booted foot on my throat.

Ari. Always Ari.

In the next second, Fang and Iggy woke, and I snapped out my free hand to wake Nudge.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins, knotting my muscles. Angel woke and seemed to take off straight into the air with no running start. She clutched Celeste tightly, hovering about twenty feet above us. I saw her look around, saw her face take on an expression that had disaster written all over it.

I looked around too.

And gasped despite myself.

We were surrounded by Erasers, more Erasers than I'd ever seen before. Literally hundreds and hundreds of them. They'd been growing these things in quantities I could hardly imagine.

Ari leaned down and whispered, "You're so pretty when you're sleeping and your mouth is shut. But what a shame to cut your hair."

"When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it," I spat, struggling against his boot.

He laughed, then reached down and stroked my face with one claw. "I like 'em feisty."

"Get off her!" Fang launched himself at Ari, taking him by surprise. Ari outweighed Fang by a hundred pounds, easy, but Fang was coldly furious and out for blood. He was scary when he was like that.

Iggy and I leaped up to help and were instantly grabbed by Erasers.

"Nudge and Gazzy-U and A," I yelled. "Now!"

Obeying without question, the two of them leaped into the air and flapped hard, rising to hover next to Angel. Erasers snapped at their legs, but they'd been quick and were out of reach. I was so proud, especially when Nudge snarled down meanly.

I struggled, but three Erasers held me in a tight, foul embrace. "Fang!" I screamed, but he was beyond hearing, locked in battle with Ari, who raked his claws across Fang's face, leaving parallel lines of red.

The six of us are superhumanly strong, but even we don't have the sheer muscle mass of a full-grown Eraser. Fang was badly outmatched but managed to chop Ari's collarbone.

Ari yelped and bared his teeth, then pulled back and swung hard, catching Fang upside of his head. I saw his head snap sideways and his eyes close, then he dropped like a dead weight onto the sand.

Ari seized Fang's head and brought it down hard on a rock. And then he did it again.

"Leave him alone! Stop it! Please stop it!" I screamed, a mist of fury swimming before my eyes. I struggled against the Erasers holding me and managed to stomp on one's instep. He yelped a curse and corkscrewed my arm until tears rolled down my cheeks.

Fang's eyes opened weakly. Seeing Ari over him, he grabbed sand and threw it into Ari's face. Fang scrambled to his feet and launched a roundhouse kick at Ari that caught him square in the chest. Ari staggered back, wheezing, then recoiled fast and cracked Fang with an elbow. Blood sprayed from Fang's mouth, and again he went down.

I was crying by now but couldn't speak: An Eraser's rough, hairy paw was clapped over my mouth.

Then Ari bent over Fang's body, his muzzle open, canines sharp and ready to tear Fang's throat. "Had enough," he growled viciously, "of life?"

Oh, God, oh, God, not Fang, not Fang, not Fang-

"Get off of him!" I looked and saw Crater. She was shaking badly but not scared. Hate and fury rose in her eyes. She launched herself at him so quickly all I could see was her blue highlights. Like blue fire. Ari tried to block her but for a six foot mutant and that probably weighed about as much as a tissue she punched him down to the ground with a loud _CRACK_ as she broke Ari's nose.

Blood spilled from his nose and he put his hand on it and then put it in front of his face. A cruel smile crept to his bloodstained lips. Before he could say anything Crater started to grow sharp claws and fangs. Here comes Eraser Crater, or as she says it Hunter. She let out an irritated roar and jumped at Ari but two others stood in her way. Bad choice. She slashed at them. One was stabbed deep in his chest while the other got the worst of it. His whole neck had come off with a single swipe.

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands. Wha-what is this? I have never been more scared in my life. Ever. Just watching her rip the remaining body of the decapitated one in half with her bare hands was terrifying. Blood seemed to spry around her like the ocean mist does. She was so quick. Bodies hitting the floor left and right. Her hair spraying out before her like blue flames licking the blood that infested the air.

Ari bit her in her forearm making a mark but she kicked him off before he could cut bone. She bit him on the shoulder and wouldn't let go until four others had managed to get her off. She tumbled on the floor and then got back up on all fours. Just looking at it all happen right then and there made it look like my life was a simple game of patty cake. She wanted blood from these guys. She wanted death.

"You killed them!" She yelled. Who? "You killed them all! You're monsters!" She charged at Ari. "You killed my family!" She let out a battle cry and then someone moved quickly through the crowd and then I saw who it was. Jeb. My adopted father. Now my worst enemy. He stuck a needle in Crater's right arm and she fell to the ground limp. No!

Ari charged but Jeb put his arm. "You have your orders."

Jeb walked toward me, keeping one eye on Ari. After endless seconds, Ari slowly, slowly drew back from Crater, Fang limp near her.

Jeb stopped in front of me.

He'd saved my life more than once. He'd saved all our lives. Taught me to read, how to make scrambled eggs, how to hot-wire cars. Once I'd depended on him as if he were the very breath in my lungs: He was my one constant, my one certainty.

"Do you get it now, Max?" he asked softly. "Do you see the incredible beauty of the game? No child, no adult, no one has ever experienced anything like what you're feeling. Do you see why all this is necessary?"

The Eraser holding me peeled his fingers away from my mouth so I could speak. Instantly, I spit hard, clearing my mouth and throat of tears. I hit Jeb's shoe.

"No," I said, keeping my voice steady, though everything in me was shrieking, desperate to run to Fang. "I don't get it. I'll never get it. I want to get out of it."

His heartbreakingly familiar face looked strained, as if he was losing patience with me. Tough. "I told you, you're going to save the world," he said. "That's the purpose of your existence. Do you think an ordinary, untrained fourteen-year-old could do that? No. You've got to be the best, the strongest, the smartest. You've got to be the ultimate. Maximum."

I yawned and rolled my eyes, knowing he'd hate that, and Jeb's jaw tightened in anger. "Do not fail," he said, a hard note in his voice. "You did okay in New York, but you made serious, rather stupid mistakes. Mistakes cost you. Make better decisions."

"You're not my dad anymore, Jeb," I said, putting as much annoying snideness into my tone as possible. "You're not responsible for me. I do what I like. I named myself-Maximum Ride."

"I'll always be responsible for you," he snapped. "If you think you're actually running your own life, then maybe you're not as bright as I thought you were."

"Make up your mind," I snapped back. "Either I'm the greatest or I'm not. Which is it?"

He motioned with his hand, and the Erasers let me and Iggy go. Ari turned and smirked at me, then blew me a kiss.

I spit at him. "Daddy always loved me best!" I hissed, and his face darkened.

He took a fast step toward me, paws coiled into fists, but was pushed along by a rough, hairy wave of the other Erasers. They swept him up and shuffled off around the large boulder at the end of our beach. Jeb was with them.

No, he was one of them.

Stumbling badly, my shoulder feeling like it was on fire, I made my way down the beach. Before I moved Fang, I felt his neck to see if it was broken. Then I carefully turned him over. Blood trickled from his mouth.

"Fang, you have to wake up," I whispered.

The others ran over. "He looks really bad," Gazzy said. "He should see a doctor." Iggy checked Crater's pulse and nodded. Alive. Nothing but the bite mark really stood out.

On Fang nothing seemed broken-maybe his nose-but he was still out cold. I lifted his head into my lap and used my sweatshirt to dab at the bloody stripes on his face.

"We could carry him, you and me," said Iggy, his long, pale hands floating over Fang, cataloging bruises, lumps, blood.

"Where to?" I asked, hearing my bitterness. "It's not like we can check him into a hospital."

"No hospi'l," Fang mumbled, his eyes still shut.

Relief flooded through me.

"Fang!" I said. "How bad?"

"Pre'y bad," he said fuzzily, then, groaning, he tried to shift to one side.

"Don't move!" I told him, but he turned his head and spit blood out onto the sand. He raised his hand and spit something into it, then opened his eyes blearily.

"Tooth," he said in disgust. "Feel like crap," Fang added, touching the knots on the back of his head.

I tried to smile. "You look like a kitty cat." I made whisker motions on my face, indicating where Ari had raked his. He looked at me sourly.

"Fang," I said, my voice breaking. "Just live, okay? Live and be okay."

With no warning, I leaned down and kissed his mouth, just like that.

"Ow," he said, touching his split lip, then he and I stared at each other in shock.

Mortification heated my face. I glanced up to see Nudge and the Gasman gaping at me. Luckily, Iggy was blind, and Angel was getting Fang water.

Gazzy looked from me to Fang to Iggy, clearly thinking that he was sunk now that I had obviously severed all ties with reality.

Slowly, Fang levered himself into a sitting position, his jaw tight, sweat breaking out on his face. "Man," he said, and coughed. "This feels pretty bad."

It was about the most he'd ever admitted to, painwise. He stood clumsily and took the water from Angel. Taking a swig, he rinsed his mouth and spit it out onto the sand.

"I'm going to kill Ari," Fang said. He looked to his left and saw Crater, his eyes widened. "She...," I nodded. "S-she did." Iggy was at her side as soon as he found out Fang was fine. He lifted her head to try and get air like they do with CPR.

 **(Iggy)**

I felt around Crater's face. Nothing broken. She had a small bump on the back of her head. Her eyes peacefully closed. I could feel her warm breath blow on my arm. I just noticed now but she's always burning up. Like her body temperature is hotter than anyone's. As I felt her for anything I felt a bite mark the size of a dollar bill on her arm. Ari! I'm gonna have to join Fang in killing Ari. I felt her twitch as my finger glazed her wound. She groaned and shifted away from my touch.

What happened was beyond me. All I heard was Max yelling at Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel and suddenly I'm being held back as I think Fang fought with someone who I'm guessing was Ari. Then I heard Crater yell at Ari to stop it and then there was only sounds of spreading and the thick smell of blood. Speaking of blood I felt a lot on her. But the only wound I could find was her arm. Where did all this come from? Was she fighting too? I felt her hands and then I touched something. It was sharp and long. A claw? Blood dripped from these. Did-did she fight? I heard her cough and I opened her mouth to let air in but my hand slipped and felt fangs. Sharp.

 **(Crater)**

I coughed and something touched my tooth. Wha the? I opened my eyes and saw Iggy looking at me. I gasped startled and tried to squirm out of his grasp but my whole everything felt asleep. I couldn't move. I swear if I'm like this forever. "Crater?" Iggy asked. "You awake." I tried to nod but gave up. "Yeah," my mouth felt like glue. "Jus' can't move nothin'. I'm all stiffin' up 'n all." He nodded. "Can you walk." Right, can't move. "Neigh. Can't move nothin', feel dizzy." He noddd again and checked me for wounds. He landed on my arm and I flinched.

I growled. "If I ever catch 'hat stupid Hunt'r. Y'all already know I'm givin' him a lickin'. He dead meat!" I said, Aces I feel faint. I looked up at the ocean sky. "Igs?" Iggy nodded, "Yeah? What's wrong."

"The ocean. Its up in le sky boi. It no supposed to be there doe. It look dope." He raised a brow. "Are you okay?" I shook my head an inch. "I'm greeeeeeeeat~ What y'all be talkin' 'bout sunshine?" He waves a hand in my face. I waved back. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai~!" He put my arm around his shoulder and put his arm around my waist. I tried to smack his hand away but failed. "Iggy, you's better not go any lower than 'hat. I'm might kill you's." He just nodded, "Ya-huh."


	3. 3 Who's yo mommy who's yo daddy

**(Crater)**

We flew to I think New York but it just looked shiny. Iggy wouldn't leave me alone, flying next to me. I still felt faint but I felt handsome, a little ditty but still good looking. "I feel like SuperMaaaaaaaaaan~!" I cried out. Max flinched next to me.

 **(Max)**

Whatever Jeb stuck into Crater it was some strong stuff to knock her out.

She randomly yelled out "I feel like Supermaaaaaaaaaan~!" Freaking me out. I turned to Iggy. "Explain to me why again you're letting a drunk person fly?" I'm seriously freaked out. Fang was holding on strong but even though he looked like he jumped off a cliff recently Crater was much worse. She somehow managed to fly upside down but after a couple of seconds her face started to look red and she nearly fell due to all the blood that rushed there.

But whenever any of us tried to carry her she would smack us away and say that she's got this even though she hit face first into an antenna after saying that. Fang looked pained at every movement.

"You macho thing, you," I said when we finally landed in the darkness of Central Park. He looked worn out, clammy, and pale, but he had flown all the way with no complaint.

"That's me," he said, but he gave me a long look, like, I haven't forgotten what you did, meaning the Kiss.

I blushed furiously, embarrassed beyond belief. I would never live that down.

"Are you really okay, Fang?" Nudge asked, the most touching concern in her voice. Nudge doted on Fang.

He looked terrible with huge purple bruises distorting his face, the awful scratches Ari had left on his cheeks, the stiff, pained way he moved.

"I'm cool," he said. "Flying helped loosen me up some."

"Look, let's find a place to hunker down, catch some Zs, and then take another shot at the Institute," I said. "We've got to figure it out-we can't stop now. Right, guys?"

"Yeah, right," Nudge said. "Let's do it, get it over with. I want to know about my mom. And other stuff. I want to know the whole story, good or bad."

"Me too," said Gazzy. "I want to find my parents so I can tell'm what total scuzzes they are. Like, 'Hi, Mom and Dad, you're such scum!'" Crater put a hand on his shoulder. "You tell 'em Max! Wait, since when did you get shorter?" She leaned close to me. Our faces inches apart. "And since when did Angle grow up so quickly. Thee was 'bout yeah high three million-melena-melon-," she looked frustrated. "A while ago!" She braked. I tried to keep a straight face but crazy Crater was just too funny.

I decided we'd better stay underground for safety's sake. In the subway station, we jumped off the platform and walked quickly along the tracks. It looked familiar, and sure enough, a few minutes' walking brought us to a huge firelit cavern populated by homeless people and misfits. Home, sweet home, especially if you happen to be a sewer rat.

Crater wouldn't shut up with this song.

"The seaweed is always greener

In somebody else's lake

You dream about going up there

But that is a big mistake

Just look at the world around you

Right here on the ocean floor

Such wonderful things surround you

What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea

Under the sea

Darling it's better

Down where it's wetter

Take it from me

Up on the shore they work all day

Out in the sun they slave away

While we devotin'

Full time to floatin'

Under the sea

Down here all the fish is happy

As off through the waves they roll

The fish on the land ain't happy

They sad 'cause they in their bowl

But fish in the bowl is lucky

They in for a worser fate

One day when the boss get hungry

Guess who's gon' be on the plate?

Under the sea

Under the sea

Nobody beat us

Fry us and eat us

In fricassee

We what the land folks loves to cook

Under the sea we off the hook

We got no troubles

Life is the bubbles

Under the sea (Under the sea)

Under the sea (Under the sea)

Since life is sweet here

We got the beat here

Naturally (Naturally)

Even the sturgeon an' the ray

They get the urge 'n' start to play

We got the spirit

You got to hear it

Under the sea

The newt play the flute

The carp play the harp

The plaice play the bass

And they soundin' sharp

The bass play the brass

The chub play the tub

The fluke is the duke of soul

(Yeah)

The ray he can play

The lings on the strings

The trout rockin' out

The blackfish she sings

The smelt and the sprat

They know where it's at

An' oh that blowfish blow

Yeah, under the sea (Under the sea)

Under the sea (Under the sea)

When the sardine

Begin the beguine

It's music to me (It's music to me)

What do they got? A lot of sand

We got a hot crustacean band

Each little clam here

Know how to jam here

Under the sea

Each little slug here

Cuttin' a rug here

Under the sea

Each little snail here

Know how to wail here

That's why it's hotter

Under the water

Ya we in luck here

Down in the muck here

Under the sea~!"

"Boy, does this look inviting," Fang said, rubbing his hands together. Crater was doing this weird wiggly dance.

I made a face at him as we climbed up onto the concrete ledge. Inside, I was glad that he had enough energy to be sarcastic. Suddenly Crater wiggled her arms in the air like they were noodles. "Mushroooooooooooms~!" She cried out and pinged to a graphite that did kinda look like a mushroom.

Suddenly exhausted and emotionally wiped, I held out my left fist to make our bedtime stack. We did our thing, then Angel snuggled next to me. I checked to make sure the others, especially Fang, were okay, then I lay down, letting despair cover me like a blanket.

I was in the middle of another sleep-driven brain explosion when I felt myself surface to consciousness without opening my eyes. Not analyzing the impulse, I shot out my hand and grabbed someone's wrist.

Moving fast, still on instinct, I sat up and twisted the intruder's arm behind his back, my senses roaring to life.

"Cool it, sucker!" the arm's owner whispered furiously. I yanked upward, threatening to pop his arm out of its socket. I definitely could've done it.

Fang creaked upright next to me, his eyes alert, but his body moving stiffly.

"You're screwing with my Mac again," said the hacker, and I loosened my hold on him. "Jeez, what happened to you?" Directed at Fang. Then he gave Crater a suspicious look. She was singing the Lion King in her sleep. She was in the middle of hakuna matata. She, once again, was upside down with her feet high up in the air.

"Cut myself shaving," Fang said. He turned to Crater. "She's just like that." Brilliant Fang.

The hacker frowned and rubbed his shoulder where I'd strained it. "Why'd you come back here?" he asked angrily. "You're totally wrecking my hard drive."

"Let me see," I said, and he grumpily opened his laptop.

The screen was covered with the inside of my head: images, words, photos, maps, mathematical equations.

The hacker scowled, seeming more perplexed than mad, though. "It's weird," he said. "You guys don't have a computer with you?"

"No," Fang said. "Not even a cell phone."

"What about a Palm Pilot?" the hacker asked.

"Nope," I said. "We're kinda more low-tech than that." Like, having Kleenex would be a huge step up for us.

"A memory chip?" he persisted.

I froze. Almost against my will, I slid my gaze over to Fang.

"What kind of memory chip?" I asked, striving for casual.

"Anything," the hacker said. "Anything that would have data on it that would interfere with my hard drive."

"If we did have a chip," I said carefully, "could you access it?"

"If I knew what it was," he said. "Maybe. What do you have?"

"It's small and square," I said, not looking at him.

"Like this?" The hacker held his fingers about three inches apart.

"Smaller."

His fingers were a half-inch apart. "You have a memory chip this small?"

I nodded.

"Let me see. Where is it?"

I took a deep breath. "In me. It's implanted in me. I saw it on an X-ray."

He stared at me with horror in his eyes. He turned off his laptop and closed the lid. "You have a memory chip that small implanted in you," he verified.

I nodded, guessing this was somewhat worse than having cooties.

He took several steps back. "A chip like that is bad news," he said slowly as if I were stupid. "It might be NSA. I won't mess with it. Look, you stay away from me! Next thing, they'll be after me." He backed away into the darkness, his hands up as if to ward off evil. "I hate them! Hate them!" Then he was gone, back into the bowels of the tunnels.

"See ya," I whispered. "Wouldn't want to be ya."

Fang looked at me irritably. "I can't take you anywhere."

I so wished he weren't all banged up-so I could whack him.

"Hakuuuuuuuuuuna matata~!" Crater sang. I facepalmed. Thank god that one is over, just a whole soundtrack to go.

We tried to get some sleep-God knows we needed it. I kind of dozed off. Then I wasn't asleep, I knew that much. But I wasn't awake, exactly. I'd been, like, sucked into another dimension, where I could feel my body, sort of, knew where I was, and yet was powerless to move or speak. I was in a movie, starring me, watching it all happen around me. I was going down a dark tunnel, or the tunnel was slipping by me, and I was staying still. Trains were rushing past me on both sides, so it was a subway tunnel.

I was thinking, Okay, subway tunnel. Yeah, so?

Then I saw a train station: Thirty-third Street. The Institute's building was on Thirty-first Street. In the darkness of the waking-dream subway tunnel, I saw a filthy rusted-over grate. I saw myself pulling the grate up. Fetid brown water gurgled below. Bleah-it was the sewer system, beneath the city.

Hello.

Beneath a rainbow...

 _Bingo, Max_ , said my Voice.

My eyes popped wide open. Fang was watching me with concern. "Now what?"

"I know what we have to do," I said. "Wake everyone up." Crater seemed to snap out of it by hitting her head trying to get up but since she was upside down she hit herself. She sprung up on all fours like a dog and literally barked at the wall. "Where are they? What? Who? Whaaaaaaaaat?" She tumbled over and looked up at me in confusion. "What's going on Max?" I rolled my eyes. "You hit your head and sang Disney songs for a long time." She blushed and didn't go any further. What I didn't mention was that on the flight here she waved her arms around like a crazy person and said 'pretty lights' and then getting ready to sleep this one homeless thought she was having a seizure.

"This way," I said, walking in the darkness of the tunnels. It was as if a detailed map was imprinted on my retinas, so I could see it laid over reality, tracing the path we needed to follow. If this map effect was part of my life forever, I would go nuts, but right now it was dang useful.

One other thing I guess I should mention-I was really, really afraid now, more afraid than I'd ever been before, and I didn't even know why. Maybe I didn't want to know the truth. Also, my head was throbbing, and that had me a little crazy too. Was I approaching my expiration date? Was I going to die? Was I just going to fall over and be gone from the world and my friends?

"Did the Voice tell you about this, Max?" Nudge poked at me and asked.

"Kind of," I answered.

"Great," I heard Iggy mutter, but I ignored him. Every step was bringing us closer to the Institute-I could feel it. We were finally about to have our questions answered, and also possibly fight the worst fight of our lives. But our curiosity was so compelling: Who were we? How had they taken us from our parents? Who had grafted avian DNA into us and why? My mind shied away from the parent question. I really didn't know if I could stand to find out. But everything in me burned to know the other whys and wherefores. I wanted names. I wanted to know who was accountable. I wanted to know where they lived. "Okay, now the tunnel splits," I said, "and we take the one with no tracks."

Angel's hand was in mine, small and trusting. The Gasman was still dopey with sleep, occasionally stumbling. Iggy had one finger in Fang's belt loop and another holding Crater's as she described to him everything. She looked fearless. Her eyes determined. Wish I could be like that. But there was something about her I couldn't quite place. She said Jeb killed her family and at the beach S while looking for Angle she looked like she lost someone before. Whose side was she on? Nevermind. Focus Max.

We were looking for a rusted grate set on the floor. In my dream, I had seen it at the crossroads of two tunnels, so it had to be here. But I didn't see it. I stopped, and the others stopped behind me.

"It has to be here," I said under my breath, peering into the darkness.

 _Don't think about what has to be, Max. Think about what is._

I set my jaw. Can't you just tell me stuff straight out? I thought. Why did everything have to be like, "What is the sound of one hand clapping" and all?

But okay. What was here, then? I closed my eyes and just sensed where I was, consciously letting any impression at all come to me. I felt like such a total dweeb.

Then I just walked forward, eyes shut, trying to sense where we should go. Instinctively, I felt I should stop. So I stopped. I looked down.

There, at my feet, was the dim outline of a large rusted grate.

Well, aren't you special, I told myself. "It's over here," I called.

The grate pulled up easily, its screws disintegrating into rusty powder as Fang, Iggy, and I pulled. Crater just moved her arm and it fell. Seriously it took three of us to get one gate but just one Crater to get the other. All she had to do was touch it and it fell like Mosses and the Red Sea.

Below it was a manhole with rusted U-shaped handholds set into one side. I lowered myself over the edge and started climbing down into the sewer system of New York City.

What a destiny.

Finally, I had to ask the Voice a question. HAD TO ASK. Am I going to die? Is that what this is all about?

There was a pause, a long one, really agonizing, the worst.

Then the Voice decided to answer. _Yes, Max, you are going to die. Just like everybody else._

Thank you, Confucious.

This may surprise you, but the sewer system of a burg with eight million people is even less delightful than you might imagine. We climbed down the manhole one by one and ended up standing on a grimy tiled ledge maybe two feet wide. Above us, the tunnel curved around, some fourteen feet across, and below our ledge was a swiftly moving current of filthy wastewater.

"Bleah," said Nudge. "This is so gross. When we get out of here, I want someone to spray me with, like, disinfectant."

Angel stuffed Celeste up under her shirt.

"Max?" said the Gasman. "Are those, um, rats?"

Lovely. "Yes, those do appear to be either rats or mice on steroids," I said briskly, trying not to shriek and climb the walls like a girly-girl.

"Jeez," said Iggy with disgust. "You'd think they'd want to live in a park or something." One came up to us and everyone moved away but Crater just stared at it till it got close and kicked it away, far, far away. Like really far. What the heck?

Ahead of us was a four-way intersection of tunnels, like a big cross. I hesitated, then turned left. Several minutes later, I stopped, completely and utterly without a clue.

Hello, Voice? I thought. A little help here, please.

I had no hope that the Voice would respond, but if it did, it would probably say something like, If a tree falls in a forest, does it still-

I looked down, then sucked in my breath so fast I almost choked. I was standing on a translucent platform suspended high over the sewer system. I wanted to scream, feeling off-balance and scared. Below me I could see another Max, looking like a deer caught in headlights, and the rest of the flock staring at me. Fang reached out and took the other Max's arm, and I felt it, but no one was with me.

 _When are you going to trust me, Max?_ said the Voice. _When are you going to trust yourself?_

"Maybe when I don't feel completely bonkers," I snarled.

I swallowed hard and tried to get a grip. Tentatively, I glanced down again at the translucent surface. As I watched, faint lines of light tracked the path behind us, where we'd already been. Then the lines continued through the tunnels, like a neon This Way sign.

Quickly, I glanced up but saw only the yucky yellow-tiled arch covered with mold, no glass ceiling. Fang was still holding my arm, looking at me intently.

I gave him an embarrassed smile. "You must be so sick of looking at me with concern."

"It is getting stale," he said. "What happened? This time, I mean."

"I don't even want to explain," I said, wiping the clammy sweat from my forehead. "You'd have me committed to a madhouse." I looked over at our new fearless friend and saw her totally freaking out. She didn't literally freak out but she looked twitchier that we do. She just stared up at the ceiling like it was going to collapse on her.

I stepped carefully around him and led the others forward. Some sections of the tunnel were lit dimly from open grates high above us, other parts were dark and dismal. But I was never lost, never uncertain, and after what felt like miles, I stopped again because it felt like it was time to. 'Cause, like, the feng shui was right, you know? Ugh.

As we stood staring around ourselves in the darkness, avoiding our chittering little rat friends, I saw why we were there. Crater kicked most of the rats away.

Set into one cruddy, disgusting sewer wall was an almost completely hidden gray metal door.

"We're here, gang. We made it."

Don't get too excited. The door was locked, of course.

"Okay, guys," I said softly. "Can any of us open locks with our minds? Speak up now."

No one could.

"Iggy, then." I moved out of the way and pulled him gently to the door. His sensitive fingers reached out and skimmed the door, feeling its almost indistinguishable edges, hovering around the keyhole. Like someone was going to come down here with a key.

"Okay," Iggy muttered. He pulled his little lock-picking kit out of his pocket, as I knew he would. Even though I had confiscated it for forever only two months ago after he picked the lock on my closet at home.

Home. Don't even think about it. You no longer have a home. You're homeless.

Carefully, Iggy selected a tool, changed his mind, took out another one. Angel shifted from foot to foot, looking nervously at the rats, who were growing creepily curious about us.

"They're going to bite us," she whispered, clutching my hand, patting Celeste through her grimy shirt. "I can read their minds too."

"No, sweetie," I said softly. "They're just afraid of us. They've never seen such huge, ugly... creatures before, and they want to check us out."

I was rewarded with a tiny smile. "We're ugly to them. Right."

It took Iggy three minutes, which was a personal record for him, breaking the old four-and-a-half-minute record required by the three locks on my closet. Crater kicked another away.

Iggy, Fang, and I gripped the edge of the door with our fingernails and pulled-there was no doorknob. Slowly, slowly, the immensely heavy door creaked open.

Revealing a long, dark, endless staircase ahead of us. Going down. Of course.

"Yeah, this is what we needed," Fang muttered. "A staircase going down to the Dark Place."

Iggy blew out his breath, less than thrilled. "You first, Max."

I put my foot on the first step.

 _You're on your own now, Max_ said my Voice. _See you later._

My headache was back, worse than before. "Let's keep it moving," I called over my shoulder.

Unlike the sewer, there wasn't even far-off light on the stairs, so it was pitch black. Fortunately, we could all see pretty well in the dark. Especially Iggy.

The steps seemed endless, and there was no handrail. I guess whoever built this wasn't too concerned with safety.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Fang asked softly.

"We're approaching our destination," I said, descending into the darkness. "We're homing in on the answers we've dreamed about getting our whole lives."

"We're doing what your Voice has told us to do," he said.

I was wary. "Yeah? The Voice has been okay so far, right?"

There was a bottom at last. "Here we are," I said, my heart pounding.

"There's a wall in front of you," said Iggy. To prove his point Crater ran into it face first. How do I know this? She muttered a bunch of foreign words and said something about her nose hurting.

I reached out in the blackness, and a few feet away, my outstretched fingers touched a wall, then a door, then a doorknob. "Door," I said. "Might need you, Iggy."

I turned the knob, just to see, and lo and behold, the door began to open.

We were all silent. The door swung all the way open without a sound, and a gentle wash of fresh, cool air wafted over us. After the fetid, dank stench of the sewers, it was amazing.

Feeling like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole, I stepped forward, my filthy shoes sinking into thick carpet. Yes, carpet.

Dim lights showed me another door, and, almost shrieking with tension, I opened it.

This all suddenly seemed horribly easy, suspiciously easy, scarily easy.

We went through this second door, then stopped and stared.

We were in a lab, a lab just like the one back at the School, thousands of miles away in California.

"We're in the Institute," I said.

"Uhm, is that a good thing?" asked Gazzy. He looked over at Crater who looked like she just ran into her worst fear face to face with no exit. Her wild eyes not like the ones at the beach but she was scared. Iggy put his hand on her arm to calm her.

"Holy [insert a swear word of your choice here]," Fang said, stunned.

"No kidding," I said. There were banks of computers taller than me. And tables with first-class lab equipment. Dry-erase boards covered with diagrams-many of which I'd seen during my brain attacks. Things were in "sleep" mode, quietly humming but not working-it wasn't yet dawn.

We wove our way among the tables, trying to take it all in while quaking in our boots. I knew there were Erasers in this building-I could feel them.

Then I saw one computer still on, its screen bright, data being processed as we watched. This could be it-our chance to find out about our past, our parents, the whole amazing enchilada. Crater stood as far away from everything as she could.

"Okay, guys," I said quietly. "Fan out, stay on guard, watch my back. I mean it! I'm going to try to hack in."

I climbed on the lab stool in front of the counter and grabbed the computer mouse.

Password?

I cracked my knuckles, making Fang wince. Well, it could only be about a hundred million different things, I thought. How hard could it be?

I started typing.

I won't bore you with the whole list of what was rejected. I was thankful that the system didn't lock me out after three bad tries. But "School."

"Batchelder," "Mother."

"Eraser."

"Flock," and a whole lot of others didn't cut it.

"This is pointless," I said, my nerves frayed.

"What's wrong, Max?" Nudge asked softly, coming to stand close to me.

"Who am I kidding?" I said. "There's no way for me to crack the password. We've come all this way for nothing. I'm such a loser! I can't stand it!"

Nudge leaned closer and touched the monitor with a finger, angling it so she could see better. She read the screen, her lips moving silently. I wanted to push her away, but I didn't want to be pointlessly mean.

Nudge closed her eyes.

"Nudge?" I asked.

Her hand fanned out on the monitor as if pressing closer for warmth.

"Hello?" I said. "What are you doing?"

"Um, try big x, little /, little n, big p, the number seven, big o, big h, little j, and the number four," she said in a whisper.

I stared at her. Across the room, Fang was watching us, and my eyes met his.

Quickly, before I forgot, I typed in what she'd said, seeing the letters show up as small dots in the password box.

I hit Enter, and the computer whirred to life, a list of icons popping up on the left-hand side of the screen.

We were in.

I stared at Nudge, and she opened her eyes slowly. A bright smile crossed her face. "Did it work?" "Yeah, it worked," I said, stunned. "Where'd you get it?"

"The computer," she said, looking pleased. "Like, when I touched it." She reached out and touched it again. "I can see the person who works here. It's a woman, with frizzy red hair. She drinks way too much coffee. She typed in the password, and I can feel it."

"Wow," I said. "Touch something else." Nudge went to the next chair and put her hand on it. She closed her eyes and, a few moments later, smiled. "A guy sits here. A baldie. He bites his nails. He went home early yesterday." Opening her eyes, she looked at me happily. "I have a new skill!" she said. "I can do something new! This is so cool!"

"Good for you, Nudge," I said. "You saved our butts here."

Trying to focus despite this latest mind-blowing development, I skimmed icons and right-clicked my way into Explore. I searched for "avian."

"School," "genetics"...

Then, oh, my God... document files filled the screen.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, searching out names, dates, anything I could think of to make a connection.

Origins. That looked promising, and I clicked on it. My eyes raced down the lines of text-and my throat closed. I almost went into shock on the spot.

I saw our names, names of hospitals, names of towns-even what looked like names of parents. Then I saw pictures of adults that seemed to go with the names. Were these our parents? They had to be. Oh, God, oh, God. This was it! This was exactly what we needed!

I hit Print, and pages started spewing out of the printer.

"What are you doing?" Fang asked, coming over.

"I think maybe I found something," I said breathlessly. I knew we shouldn't stop to look over the amazing pages here. "I'm going to print it, and then we should get the heck out of here. Start getting the others together." Crater looked panicked.

I grabbed pages as they came out, folding them up and cramming them into all my pockets. I didn't even know how many there were, but finally the printer stopped. I was bursting to tell the others everything, but I didn't. I bit the inside of my cheek until it hurt. See why I'm the leader?

"Come on!" I said urgently. "Let's split! Let's go!"

"Uh, just a second, Max," said the Gasman, sounding really, really weird. Crater walked over to the still opened computer and printed something of her own and took off the page. Deleting everything that we did, The Gasman was standing by a fabric-covered wall, and with typical curiosity, he had pulled the fabric aside. Slowly, we walked over to him, six sets of eyes opened wide as saucers.

When I was two feet away, my heart slammed to a halt inside my chest. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. Angel did scream until Fang cupped a hand over her mouth. Crater backed away and bumped into me and tumbled to the floor.

Behind the curtain was a glass wall. Okay, no biggie.

But behind the glass was another lab room, with lab stations, computers, and... cages.

Cages with sleeping forms in them. Child-size forms.

Dozens of them.

Mutants.

Just like us.

I couldn't speak. My gaze raked the glass wall, and I saw a small pad at eye level. I went over and pressed it in that cute don't-think-it-through way I have.

The glass wall opened, and we tiptoed through, our nerves as taut as rubber bands.

Sure enough, there were mutant kids sleeping in cages and in large dog crates. It brought my awful, gut-twisting childhood whooshing back to me, and I felt on the verge of having a panic attack. I'd forgotten about my headache for maybe a minute, but now it was back, throbbing as if my brain was getting ready to blow.

Angel was looking sadly into one cage, and I went to her. Out of hundreds of genetic experiments, only we and the Erasers had been at all viable as far as I knew. The two little creatures asleep on their cage floor were clearly horrible failures and probably couldn't last much longer. What with some of their vital organs on the outside of their bodies and all. Kidneys, bowels, a heart. Oh, the poor babies.

"This is pathetic," Fang whispered, and I turned to see him looking at a large cat, like a serval or a margay. I'd never seen a real animal in one of the labs before. Just as I was wondering what its deal was, it woke up, blinked sleepily, then turned over and dozed off again.

I swallowed really, really hard. It had human eyes. And when I examined its paws more closely, I saw humanlike fingers beneath the retractable claws. Jiminy Christmas.

Glancing over, I saw Angel reading the card tacked to another small cage. Its doglike occupant was running in its sleep. "Hi, doggie," Angel whispered. "Hi, little doggie. You look like Toto. From The Wizard of Oz."

I went over to Nudge, who was standing stiffly beside a cage. I looked in.

This one had wings.

I caught Fang's gaze, and he came over. When he saw the bird kid, he sighed and shook his head. I actually saw sadness and tenderness in his eyes. It made me want to hug Fang. But I didn't, of course.

"You know, we can't save them all," he told me softly.

"I'm supposed to save the whole world, remember?" I whispered back. "Well, I'm gonna start with these guys."

 _There you go, Max,_ said the Voice. _That's the difference between you and Fang_.

Don't you dare say anything bad about Fang, I thought. He's usually right. He's probably right about this now.

 _Is it important to be right or is it important to do what's right? That's one of the hardest lessons to learn._

Okay, whatever. I'm really busy right now. "Start popping latches," I whispered to Iggy, who whispered to the Gasman, and so on. Crater ran quickly to them all and took almost half of the room quicker than we could. Like she's done this before. I caught a picture of the paper she crumbled into her back pocket.

A female with long dark red hair. She was frowning and had grey eyes. Her pale skin looked a lot like Crater's. Next to hers, there was a man that looked a lot like Fang did. Black hair. Jaw. But he had blue eyes not black like Fang. A long deep scar ran down his face from jaw to eyebrow. I shook my head. That doesn't matter right now.

I opened a cage and gently shook the creature inside awake. "Get ready to run," I whispered. "We're getting you out of here." The poor baby looked back at me uncomprehendingly.

Several creatures were awake and pressing against their cage bars, making weird noises I'd never heard before. We moved as fast as we could, opening doors. Finally, most of the prisoners were free, standing around, looking at the entrance to the lab with confusion or fear.

One cage held a large child who was gripping the bars. Fine features said this was probably a female. She had wings-I could see them tucked tight against her sides. She was older than the other winged child we'd seen.

I quickly unlatched the door to her cage. I jumped back when I heard a voice.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" she whispered.

"Kids don't belong in cages," I said to her. Then I called out in a loud voice, "Okay, everybody. Let's blow this joint."

"This way!" Nudge said, attempting to herd the mutants out of the lab. "Don't be afraid."

"I hear voices," Iggy said. "Be very afraid."

"Let's move it!" I ordered. My heart was pounding- what was I doing? Was I going to take care of all these kids? I could barely manage the ones I had.

I would think about that tomorrow.

"Nudge! Fang! Angel! Crater!" I called. "Out, out, out!"

They zipped past me, urging the others, and then we ran through the first door and across the deep carpeting to the second door. "Up the stairs!"

I didn't have Iggy's hearing, but I felt, sensed, that our little liberation party was about to be discovered. And that would be bad.

 _Plan ahead, Max. Think it out. Think on your feet._

Yes, Voice. Okay, we had steps, then sewer-I practically pushed the others up the dark stairs, one, two, three... One of the mutant kids freaked out and curled up in a ball, whimpering. I snatched it in one arm and kept climbing, two steps at a time. In my mind, I pictured the route we had to take.

Up ahead, Fang shoved open the last door, the one into the tunnel, and we all poured out after him, moving from cool, fresh air to a hot, fetid dampness that made my nose wrinkle.

"Where are we?" asked the bird girl we'd freed. She looked about ten years old and was one of the few who would speak.

"Sewer system, under a big city," I said shortly. "On our way out to fresh air and sunlight."

"But not just yet," Ari hissed from behind. "First we need to chat, Maximum. You and I. For old times' sake."

I went still and saw the bird girl's eyes widen in fear too. Did she know Ari? Slowly, I handed her the small whimpering mutant in my arms, then turned. Crater was furious despite the fear I saw only a moment ago.

"Back again? What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought Dad was keeping you on a short leash."

His hands curled into clawed fists.

I needed time. Behind me, I made "run!" motions with one hand. "So what happened, Ari?" I said, keeping his attention on me. "Who took care of you when Jeb left with us?"

His eyes narrowed, and I saw his canines growing visibly longer. "The whitecoats. Don't worry about it; I was in good hands. The best. Somebody was looking out for me."

I frowned, wondering-"Ari, did Jeb give them permission to Eraserfy you or did someone just do it while he was gone?"

Ari's heavily muscled body quivered with rage. "What do you care? You're so perfect, the one successful recombinant. And I'm nobody, remember? I'm the boy who was left behind."

Despite everything, despite the fact that I could cheerfully have kicked his teeth in for what he had done to Fang, I did feel a pang of pity for Ari. It was true-once we were out of the School, I'd never given him a second thought. I didn't think about why Jeb had left him or what had happened to him.

"Someone did terrible things to you because Jeb wasn't there to protect you," I said quietly.

"Shut up!" he growled. "You don't know anything! You're dumb as a brick!"

"Maybe not. Someone wanted to see if Erasers would last longer if they didn't start from infancy," I went on. Ari was trembling now, his hands clenching and unclenching convulsively. "You were three years old, and they grafted DNA into you and they got a superEraser. Right?"

Suddenly, Ari lunged and swung out with one clubbed paw. Even with my speed-record reflexes, he managed to cuff my cheek hard enough to spin me against the gross tunnel wall. Something like pus stuck to my face.

I sucked in a breath, accepting that I was about to get the stuffing beat out of me. Ol' Jeb, though clearly an agent of the devil, had taught us the useful art of street fighting. Never fight fair, that's not how you win. Use every dirty trick you can. Expect pain. Expect to get hurt. If you're surprised by the pain, you just lost.

I turned slowly back toward Ari. "Out in the real world, you should be in second grade," I said, tasting salty blood inside my mouth. "If Jeb had protected you."

"Out in the real world, you would have been killed for the disgusting mutant freak you are."

Now the gloves were off. "And you're a... what?" I asked in mock polite confusion. "Face it, Ari. You're not just a big, hairy seven-year-old. You're much more of an obvious mutant freak than I am. And your own father let it happen."

"Shut up!" Ari yelled furiously.

I couldn't help it-I felt bad for him for a second.

But only for a second.

"You see, Ari," I said conversationally, then launched myself at him with a roundhouse kick that would have caved in the chest of an ordinary man. Ari merely staggered.

Staggered back a half-step. Not even a full one.

He cuffed me again, and I saw circles and stars. He punched me in the stomach. My God, he was as strong as a team of oxen. That would be strong, right?

"You're dead meat," Ari growled. "I mean that literally."

Then he surged toward me, claws out-and he slipped.

His boot slid on the slimy tunnel ledge and he fell heavily to his back. So hard I could hear the wind knocked out of him, a mighty gush of air.

"Get them out of here! " I shouted at Fang, barely turning my head, then instantly dropped my full weight onto Ari's chest.

I could hear my heart and feel adrenaline snaking through me, turning me into Supergirl. I remembered that Ari had hurt Fang bad out at the beach and he'd enjoyed it.

Ari struggled to get up, wheezing like a large animal with pneumonia, trying to push me off. I grabbed his head with both hands, my face twisted with fury.

But he got away from me. He was so fast, faster than I was.

Ari punched me again, and I thought I heard a rib crack. He was taking me apart bit by bit. Why did he hate me so? Why did all of the Erasers hate us?

"Yes, Maximum, I am enjoying this. I want it to last a long, long time."

I was his pummeling bag now, and there was nothing I could do about it. You can't imagine the hurt and pain, or his strength, or the fury aimed at me.

The only thing saving me from destruction was the slippery footing in the tunnel, the grime under his feet.

Just then Ari lost his balance again, and I saw the smallest opening. A chance, at least.

I kicked him once more, this time in the throat. Solid, a good one.

Ari gagged and started to go down. I threw myself at him, grabbing his head, and we fell as one in slow motion. He was huge, heavy, and we dropped like lead. Wham! Butt, back, head... I held on tight-as Ari's neck slammed against the hard side of the tunnel. I heard a horrible, stomach-turning crack that vibrated up my arms. Ari and I stared at each other in shock.

"You really hurt me," he gasped rawly, terrible surprise in his voice. "I wouldn't hurt you. Not like this." Then his head flopped down, and Ari went totally limp. His eyes rolled up and the whites showed.

"Max?" Iggy was trying to sound calm. "What was that?"

"I-I..." I gulped, sitting on Ari's barrel chest, still holding his head, "I think I broke his neck."

I gulped again, feeling like I might be sick. "I think he's dead."

We heard angry voices and heavy, pounding footsteps on the stairs above us.

No time to think, to try and make sense out of what had just happened.

I jumped off Ari's lifeless body and grabbed Angel's hand. Angel grabbed Iggy, and we started running with Nudge and the Gasman right behind us. I was aching everywhere, but I ran. I ran like the dickens, whatever that is. I saw no sign of Fang and the other mutants- they'd already gone.

"Fly!" I shouted, dropping Angel's hand, and she instantly leaped out over the sewer water, snapping her wings open and pushing down hard. Her sneakers dipped into the water, but then she rose again and flew off down the tunnel, her white wings a beacon in the darkness. The Gasman went next, looking freaked out and pale, and Iggy took off after him.

I heard a booming voice.

"He was my son! "

Jeb's anguished cry echoed horribly after me, bouncing off the stone walls, coming at me from all angles. I felt short of breath. Had I really killed Ari? Made him die? It all seemed surreal-the sewer, the files, the mutants, Ari... Was I dreaming?

No. I was painfully awake, painfully myself, painfully right here, right now.

I turned and looked back at Jeb, the man who'd been my hero once upon a time.

"Why are you doing this?" I shouted at the top of my voice. "Why this game? This test? Look at what you've done."

Jeb stared at me, and I remembered clearly when he was like my father, the only one I trusted. Who had he really been back then? Who was he now?

Suddenly, he changed gears completely. He wasn't yelling anymore. "Max, you want answers to the secrets of life, and that's not how it works. Not for anybody, not even you. I'm your friend. Never forget that."

"I already have!" I yelled, then turned away, leaving Jeb behind.

"Take a right!" I shouted at Angel, and she did, swerving gracefully into a larger tunnel.

Just as I swerved after her, almost crashing into a wall because I banked too late, I heard one last, haunting cry. Jeb had changed his tone again-he was screaming at me, and I pictured his red face, red as a stop sign.

"You killed your own brother!" Jeb's horrifying words echoed in my head, again and again, the meaning and consequences seeming worse each time. You killed your own brother. Could that be true? How? Or was this just more theater? Part of my test?

Somehow, we made it up to the street, where Fang was waiting. I felt faint like I'd been hit by a truck, but I forced myself to keep moving. I remembered what was stuffed in my pockets. Names, addresses, pictures of our parents?

"Where are the other kids? The mutants?" I asked Fang. So much was going on now. It was hard to keep it all straight, but it had to be done, so I did it.

"The girl with wings took them." He shrugged. "She didn't want to stay with us. Wouldn't take no for an answer. Sound like anyone you know?"

I waved him off-I didn't want to talk about it now, didn't want to talk about anything.

I could still see Ari's eyes rolling back, could hear his neck snapping.

"Just walk. Keep walking," I said, and started to limp forward. "Walk the walk."

It was almost two minutes later that I realized Angel was carrying something besides Celeste.

"Angel?" I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "What's that?"

Something small and black and furry squirmed under her arm.

"It's my dog," said Angel, and her chin went stiff like it always did when she was about to get stubborn.

"Your what?" Fang said, peering at the object in question.

We all gathered around Angel, but then I remembered how conspicuous we were. "Let's move," I muttered. "But this discussion isn't over, Angel."

In Battery Park, down at the tip of Manhattan, a small, abandoned band shell was almost completely hidden by overgrown rhododendrons and yew bushes. We huddled under its shelter as the rain washed the dust off the city. I was wiped. I felt like I had absolutely nothing left.

"Okay," I said, sitting up straighter, trying to put energy into my voice. "Angel, explain the dog."

"He's my dog," she said firmly, not looking at me. "From the Institute."

Fang sent me a look that said, If you let her keep this dog, I will kill you.

"Angel, we cannot have a dog with us," I said sternly.

The dog wiggled out of her arms to sit at her side. It looked pretty normal as far as I could tell. Its bright, black doggy eyes shone at me, and it was grinning in a friendly way. Its short, stumpy tail was wagging. Its nose sniffed the air happily, excited by all the new scents in the world.

Angel gathered the dog to her. The Gasman edged closer to look at it.

"And besides, you have Celeste," I pointed out.

"I love Celeste," Angel said loyally. "But I couldn't leave Total behind."

"Total?" Iggy asked.

"That's what his card said," Angel explained.

"Totally a mutant dog who will probably turn on us and kill us in our sleep," Fang said.

The dog cocked his head to one side, his grin fading a moment. Then his tail wagged again, insult forgotten.

Fang looked at me: I got to be the bad cop and lay down the law.

"Angel," I began cajolingly. "We can't always feed ourselves. We're on the run. It's dangerous out here. It's all we can do to deal with us."

Angel set her jaw and looked at her sneakers. "He's the most wonderful dog in the whole wide world," she said. "So there."

I looked at Fang helplessly.

"Angel," he said severely. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, her face grubby, clothes filthy, cornrows all fuzzy.

"The first time you don't take care of him, boom, he's out," Fang said. "Understood?"

Angel's face lit up, and she threw herself into Fang's arms while I gaped at him. He hugged Angel back, then caught my expression. He shrugged and let Angel go.

"She made Bambi eyes at me," he whispered. "You know I can't resist it when she does Bambi eyes."

"Total!" Angel cried. "You can stay!"

She hugged the small wiggling black body, then drew back to beam at him. Total gave a happy yip, then made an excited leap.

And our jaws dropped. We all stared in disbelief. Total almost hit the top of the band shell, about sixteen feet above us.

"Oh," said Angel, and Total landed, almost bottomed out, then jumped up again and licked her face.

"Yeah, oh," I said.

That night we made a small campfire and sat near the water in a part of New York called Staten Island. We were licking our wounds. Especially me. I hurt all over. But I was also unbelievably excited about what I'd found at the Institute.

"Okay, we're all safe, all together." I took a deep breath and slowly released it. "We found the Institute and maybe we got exactly what we went there for. Guys, I found names, addresses, even pictures of people who might be our parents."

I could see surprise, shock, incredible excitement on all of their faces, but also hints of fear and trepidation. Can you imagine what it's like to meet your parents when you're somewhere between six and fourteen? I sure couldn't.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Iggy. "The envelope, please. Open it, already. Then somebody tell me what it says." Crater was sitting at the edge and far away from the fire. She was soaking wet since she let herself be drowned by the endless rain. The papers she had were dry because she used her hoodie as a tent for them.

Her eyes haunted by something that seemed to bug her ever since we had even gotten close to the Institute. She swallowed. She trembled, now that I've noticed no matter how cold it was for us she never even twitched once. I walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. I smiled at her. "You gonna join in?" She looked at me surprised. She mouthed 'me?' And I nodded. "Come on." She walked over awkwardly and shook her head like a dog.

I felt a trembling sense of elation as I started pulling out the pages I'd taken from the Institute. Here were the answers to the mysteries of our lives, right? The others gathered around me, leaning over my shoulders, helping me smooth the printed pages flat without smearing the ink.

"Max, what did Jeb mean-you killed your brother?" Nudge asked out of the blue. The question was so typical of her, off in her own world again. "He didn't mean that Ari was your brother, did he? You guys weren't-I mean, triple yuk-"

I held up my hand, trying not to shriek from bottled-up emotion. "I don't know, Nudge," I said, forcing myself to sound calm. "I can't think about it right now. Let's read these pages. When someone gets to something interesting, yell." I handed out the wrinkled stacks.

"Who's your daddy?" crowed the Gasman. "Who's your mommy?"


	4. 4 parents?

**(Crater)**

Everyone seemed so excited to find out all this stuff about themselves. I guess not everyone was lucky like me to actually know my family.

We all say around a fire and they all looked at the papers. I looked at my own. In the Institute after Max had printings out papers on everyone but me, I looked for my family and myself.

Angel started reading slowly, sounding out words. 'This doesn't make sense to me," she said after about ten seconds.

Then the Gasman sat up. "Here I am!" he shouted. "Here I am!"

"Let me see, Gazzy."

The Gasman handed me his stack and Max pored over it. Sure enough, I found his name: "F28246eff (the Gasman)." Oh, the irony.

"Here's an address!" Max said, tracing my finger down a page. "It's in Virginia!"

"I've got an address too, and some names," said Fang. "And my name. And, oh man, there are pictures."

"Let us see, let us see!"

Everybody gathered around Fang, and even though he's usually Mr. Calm, Cool, he was shaking. We all were. I myself was trembling. This was heart racing geez!

Nudge was pointing at a photocopy in Fang's hand. It showed a man and woman who seemed to be in their thirties. "He looks just like you, Fang. And so does she. They've got to be your mom and dad! No doubt."

Her voice choked up, and suddenly we were all crying, except Fang, of course, who just muttered, "Maybe, maybe not." I cried for a whole new reason. Aces it can't be! It is. I swallowed against the giant lump in my throat.

Then everybody was looking through the pages, searching for their parents. Nobody made a sound. Until-

"Here they are! My mom and dad!" Gazzy shouted. "One sixty-seven Cortlandt Lane in Alexandria, Virginia! Angel, look! This is them. It's totally amazing. It's a miracle. They look like me! And you too, Angel!"

Angel stared at the picture silently for a moment, and then her face crumpled and she was sobbing. I instantly reached out and held her small body close, stroking her hair. Angel's usually no softie, and when I felt her shake with sobs, my chest ached with her pain. Talk about your Kodak moment. Or Fuji. Whatever.

"There's lots of numbers and nonsense printed all over these pages too," Fang said, bringing me back to the here and now.

I saw the same thing. "Why scramble just some of the information? It doesn't make sense."

"Who cares?" Gazzy yelled happily. "I found my mom and dad! YAA-HOO! I take back being mad at them!"

Fang, Gazzy, and Angel had hit the jackpot, but so far, Iggy and I hadn't. And Nudge still wasn't sure if her 'rents were out west or not.

"Iggy! Iggy! Your mom! Oh, aww-. Says your dad is deceased," the Gasman reported. "Sorry about your dad. But your mom looks neat." He started to describe her out loud. Max looked uncomfortable. Right, she didn't have any parents or papers.

"So why scramble this other information?" Max finally asked again. I could feel her pain.

"Maybe it's information the whitecoats never wanted anyone to find out," Fang said in the hollow Twilight Zone-y voice he used sometimes when things got unusually weird-as opposed to regular weird.

"Like-funding," Max said, thinking. "Or hospitals who gave them babies. Other messed-up scientists who help them. Like the keys to the whole Evil Empire."

"Holy Joe," said Iggy, sitting up excitedly. "If we had that stuff, we could blow them wide open! We could send it to a newspaper. That fat guy could make a movie-like Bowling for Columbine or something."

My heart raced once more. "I don't care about that stuff," said Nudge. "I just want to find my mom and dad once and for all. Wait, wait! This is me!" Holding her breath, she examined the information surrounding N88034gnh (Monique). "Know what?" Nudge quickly glanced from page to page. "All these addresses are in Virginia and Maryland and Washington, DC. That's all kind of close together, isn't it? Plus, DC is where the government is, right?"

"This is the coolest thing ever," said Iggy, a far-off look coming over his face. "First we meet our parents. Joyful reunion, hugs, kisses. Then we go destroy the School, the Institute, all those sons of b- I mean, all those jerks who messed us up." I hit his arm knowing what he was about to say. "That would be so great. Like, we could wipe out the Erasers, all of 'em, at once. Way cool!"

"So what are we going to do?" the Gasman asked, suddenly very serious. "For real?"

"I want to do whatever Max does," said Angel. "And so do Celeste and Total."

Total wriggled, hearing his name, and licked Angel's hand. Whatever had been done to him at the Institute, he didn't seem to be holding any grudges. Now he licked Celeste.

That poor bear needed a bath in a big way. We all did. I looked at everyone's happy face. Max putting on her brave face.

"We go to DC," Max said finally. "And take baths. And start tracking your parents down. We have all their addresses, right?"

"Woo-hoo!" the Gasman shouted, slapping Iggy high five, taking him by surprise.

I smiled at them. I loved them all so much and I wanted them to be happy. I would do anything for these guys. I felt pain like no other on the inside. My parents, gone. Now we were going to start finding out about the flock's pasts.

If anything would come in their way I could fight against it. Everything. Even myself. Even if it took my life. Nothing will stop my endless mission to save these guys.

I looked up and saw Iggy gleaming at the papers in his hand. I walked o we and sat next to him. "Excited isn't it?" I asked casually. He nodded and smiled. "Who are your parents?"


	5. 5 Back at it again

**(Max)**

Sweeping, swooping, soaring, air-current thrill rides - there's nothing better. For miles around, we were the only things in the infinite, wide-open, clear blue sky. You want an adrenaline rush? Try tucking your wings in, dive-bombing for about a mile straight down, then whoosh! Wings out, grab an air current like a pit bull and hang on for the ride of your life. God, nothing is better, more fun, more exciting.

Okay, we were mutant freaks, we were on the lam, but man, flying - well, there's a reason people always dream about it.

"Oh, my gosh!" the Gasman said excitedly. He pointed. "A UFO!"

I silently counted to ten. There was nothing where the Gasman had pointed. As usual. "That was funny the first fifty times, Gazzy," I said. "It's getting old."

He cackled, several wingspans away from me. There's nothing like an eight-year-old's sense of humor.

"Max? How long till we get to DC?" asked Nudge, pulling up closer to me. She looked tired - we'd had one long, ugly day. Well, another long, ugly day in a whole series of long, ugly days. If I ever actually had a good, easy day, I'd probably freak out.

"Another hour? An hour and a half?" I guessed.

Nudge didn't say anything. I cast a quick glance at the rest of my flock. Fang, Iggy, and I were holding steady, but we had mucho de stamina. I mean, the younger set also had stamina, especially compared to dinky little non-mutant humans. But even they gave out eventually. Crater, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine like she could fly all around the world 57 times and still not be tried.

Here's the deal - for anybody new on this trip. There are seven of us: Angel, who's six; Gasman, age eight; Iggy, who's fourteen, and blind; Nudge, eleven; Fang, Crater, new to the flock and our only Eraser slash bird-kid pal, and me (Max), we're fourteen too. We escaped from the lab where we were raised, were given wings and other assorted powers. They want us back - badly. But we're not going back. Ever. Crater, on the other hand, doesn't talk about the past much so I'm guessing from before, she had a family, lost it to the School, went to New York, bumped into us and is now part of the gang.

I shifted Total to my other arm, glad he didn't weigh more than twenty pounds. He roused slightly, then draped himself across my arm and went back to sleep, the wind whistling through his black fur. Did I want a dog? No. Did I need a dog? Also no. We were six kids running for our lives, not knowing where our next meal was coming from. Could we afford to feed a dog? Wait for it - no.

"You okay?" Fang cruised up alongside me. His wings were dark and almost silent, like Fang himself.

"In what way?" I asked. I mean, there was the headache issue, the chip issue, the Voice-in-my-head-constantly issue, my healing bullet wound. . . . "Can you be more specific?"

"Killing Ari."

My breath froze in my throat. Only Fang could cut right to the heart of the matter like that. Only Fang knew me that well and went that far.

When we'd been escaping from the Institute, in New York, Erasers and whitecoats had shown up, of course. God forbid we should make a clean getaway. Erasers, if you don't know already, are wolflike creatures who have been chasing us constantly since we escaped from the lab, or School as we call it. One of the Erasers had been Ari. We'd fought, as we'd fought before, and then suddenly, with no warning, I was sitting on his chest, staring at his lifeless eyes, his broken neck bent at an awkward angle.

That was twenty-four hours ago.

"It was you or him," Fang said calmly. "I'm glad you picked you."

I let out a deep breath. Erasers simpled everything up: They had no qualms about killing, so you had to lose your squeamishness about it too. But Crater isn't like that! Just in case you're thinking 'But Max, you're flying around with one with you right now.' Trust me, Crater's chill but even she breaks. She has this burning hatred for the School but has this mom-fun energy with us.

But Ari, Ari had been different. I'd recognized him, remembered him as a little kid back at the School. I knew him.

Plus, there was that last, awful bellow from Ari's father, Jeb, echoing after me again and again as I flew through the tunnels:

 _"You killed your own brother!"_

Of course, Jeb was a lying, cheating manipulator, so he might have just been yanking my chain. But his anguish after he'd discovered his dead son had sounded real.

And even though I loathed and despised Jeb, I still felt as though I had an anvil on my chest.

 _You had to do it, Max. You 're still working toward the greater good. And nothing can interfere with that. Nothing can interfere with your mission to save the world._

I took another deep breath through clenched jaws. Geez, Voice. Next you'll be telling me that to make an omelet, I have to break a few eggs.

I sighed. Yes, I have a Voice inside my head, I mean, another one besides my own. I'm pretty sure that if you look up the word nuts in the dictionary, you'll find my picture. Just another fun feature of my mutant-bird-kid-freak package.

"Do you want me to take him?" Angel asked, gesturing toward the dog in my arms.

"No, that's okay," I said. Total weighed almost half of what Angel weighed - I didn't know how she'd carried him as far as she had. "I know," I said, brightening. "Fang will take him."

I gave my wings an extra beat and surged up over Fang, our wings sweeping in rhythm. "Here," I said, lowering Total. "Have a dog." Vaguely Scottie-ish in size and looks, Total wiggled a bit, then quickly settled into Fang's arms. He gave Fang a little lick, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from snickering at Fang's expression.

I sped up a bit, flying out in front of the flock, feeling an excitement overshadowing my fatigue and the dark weight of what had happened. We were headed to new territory - and we might even find our parents this time. We had escaped the Erasers and the whitecoats - our former "keepers" - again. We were all together and no one was badly wounded. For this brief moment, 1 felt free and strong, as if I was starting fresh, all over again. We would find our parents - I could feel it.

I was feeling ... I paused, trying to name this sensation.

I felt kind of optimistic. Despite everything.

 _Optimism is overrated,_ Max, said the Voice. _It's better to face reality head-on._

I wondered if the Voice could see me rolling my eyes, from the inside.

 **(Ari)**

It had gotten dark hours ago. He should have heard by now. The fearsome Eraser paced around the small clearing, and then suddenly the static in his ear made him wince. He pressed the earpiece of his receiver and listened.

What he heard made him smile, despite feeling like crap, despite having a rage so fierce it felt as if it were going to burn him up from the inside out.

One of his men saw the expression on his face and motioned the others to be quiet. He nodded, said "Got it" into his mouthpiece, and tapped off his transmitter.

He looked over at his troop. "We got our coordinates," he said. He tried to resist rubbing his hands together in glee but couldn't. "They're headed south-southwest and passed Philadelphia thirty minutes ago. The Director was right - they're going to Washington DC."

"How solid is this info?" one of his Erasers asked.

"From the horse's mouth," he said, starting to check his equipment. He rolled his shoulders, grimacing, then popped a pain pill.

"Which horse?" asked another Eraser, standing up and fastening a night-vision monocle over one eye.

"Let's just say it's insider information," the leader of the Erasers said, hearing the joy in his own voice. He felt his heart speed up with anticipation, his fingers itching to close around a skinny bird-kid neck. Then he started to morph, watching his hands.

The frail human skin was soon covered with tough fur; ragged claws erupted from his fingertips. Morphing had hurt at first - his lupine DNA wasn't seamlessly grafted into his stem cells, like the other Erasers'. So there were some kinks to be worked out, a rough, painful transition period he'd had to go through.

But he wasn't complaining. It would all be worth it the moment he got his claws on Max and choked the life right out of her. He imagined the look of surprise on her face, how she would struggle. Then he'd watch the light slowly fade out of her beautiful brown eyes. She wouldn't think she was so hot then. Wouldn't look down on him or, worse, ignore him. Just because he wasn't a mutant freak like them, he'd been nothing to her. All she cared about was the flock this and the flock that. That was all his father, Jeb, cared about too.

Once Max was dead, that would all change.

And he, Ari, would be the number-one son. He 'd come back from the dead for it.

 **(Max)**

By dusk we'd crossed over a chunk of Pennsylvania, and a thin spit of ocean twined below us, between New Jersey and Delaware. "Look at this, kids, we're learning geography!" Fang called out with mock excitement. Since we'd never been to school, most of what we'd learned was from television or the Internet. And, these days, from the little know-it-all Voice in my head.

Soon we'd be over Washington DC. Which was pretty much where my plan stopped. For tonight, all I was worried about was food and a place to sleep. Tomorrow I would have time to study the info we'd gotten from the Institute. I'd been so thrilled when we'd hacked into the Institute's computers. Pages of information about our actual parents had scrolled across the screen. I'd managed to print out a bunch of it before we'd been interrupted.

Who knew - by this time tomorrow we might be on someone's doorstep, about to come face-to-face with the parents who had lost us so long ago. It sent shivers down my spine.

I was tired. We were all tired. So when I did an automatic 360 and saw a weird dark cloud heading toward us, my groan was deep and sincere.

"Fang! What's that? Behind us, at ten o'clock."

He frowned, checking it out. "Too fast for a storm cloud. Too small, too quiet for choppers. Not birds - too lumpy." He looked at me. "I give up. What is it?"

"Trouble," I said grimly. "Angel! Get out of the way. Guys, heads up! We've got company!"

We swung around to face whatever was coming. Fast!

"Flying monkeys?" The Gasman called out a guess. "Like The Wizard of Oz?"

It dawned on me then. "No," I said tersely. "Worse. Flying Erasers." Yep. Flying Erasers. These Erasers had wings, which was a new and revolting development on the Eraser front. Half-wolf, half-human, and now half-avian? That couldn't be a happy mix. And they were headed our way at about eighty miles an hour. Well, we did have one with us but like I said Crater's on our side.

"Erasers, version 6.5," Fang said. Crater just glared at him like this [-_-"] from the side and he did an awkward cough finally considering the fact that she had wings like us but also was half morphed as an Eraser to fight.

 _Split up, Max._ _Think 3-D_ , said my Voice.

"Split up!" I ordered. "Nudge! Gazzy! Nine o'clock! Angel, up top. Move it! Iggy and Fang, flank me from below! Fang, ditch the dog!" What wasn't I ordering Crater around? Because its Crater and she doesn't need orders. Just give her a target and it's done before you know it.

"Nooo, Fang!" screeched Angel.

The Erasers slowed as we fanned out, their huge, heavy-looking wings back beating the air. It was almost pitch-black now, with no moon and no city lights below. I was still able to see their teeth, their pointed fangs, their smiles of excitement. They were on a hunt - it was party time!

Here we go, I thought, feeling adrenaline speeding up my heart. I launched myself at the biggest one, swinging my feet under me to smash against his chest. He rolled back but righted himself and came at me again, claws slashing the air.

I bobbed, feeling his paws whip right past my face. I turned sharply just in time to have a hard, hairy fist crash into my head.

I dropped ten feet quickly, then surged back up on the offensive.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Fang clap both hands hard against an Eraser's furry ears. The Eraser screamed, holding his head, and started to lose altitude. Fang had Total in his backpack. He rolled out of harm's way, and I took his place, catching another Eraser in the mouth with a hard side kick.

I grabbed one of his arms, twisting it violently in back of him. It was harder in the air, but then I heard a loud pop.

The Eraser screamed and dropped, careening downward until he caught himself and flew clumsily away, one arm dangling.

Above me an Eraser lashed out at Nudge, but she dodged out of the way.

 _Max? Size isn't everything,_ said the Voice.

I got it! The Erasers were bigger and heavier, their wings almost twice as long as ours. But in the air, those were liabilities.

Panting, I ducked as an Eraser swung a black-booted foot at my side, catching me in the ribs but not too hard.

I zipped in and dealt out some powerful punches of my own, knocking his head sideways, then I flitted out of reach.

Compared to the Erasers, we were nimble little stinging wasps, and they were clunky, slow, awkward flying cows. But Crater was killing it. Five all surrounding her but she seemed to be having fun. Grabbing two by the head and folding her wings as the one behind her tried to have a swipe at her wings and sham she'd the two from before together while she lost altitude and then flew back up as the others fell and scratched at the other three till they fell.

Two Erasers ganged up on me, but I shot straight up like an arrow, just in time for them to smash into each other.

I laughed as I saw Gazzy roll completely over like a fighter plane, smacking an Eraser in the jaw on the turn. The Eraser swung a hard punch, landing it on Gazzy's thigh, and Gazzy winced, then launched a side kick at the Eraser's hand, which snapped back.

How many of them were there? I couldn't tell - everything was happening at once. Ten?

 _Nudge_ , my Voice said, and then I heard Nudge cry out.

An Eraser had her tight in his arms, his fangs moving toward her neck. His teeth were just starting to scrape her skin when I dropped on him from above. I wrapped one arm around his neck and yanked hard, hearing him gag and choke. Grabbing my wrist with my other hand, I yanked harder until he let Nudge drop away from him.

"Scat!" I told her, and, coughing, she swooped away from the fight. My Eraser was still struggling but starting to weaken. "You better get your guys out of here," I snarled into his ear. "We're kicking your hairy butts."

"You're gonna fall now," I heard Angel say in a normal voice. I swung my head to see her gravely watching an Eraser who looked confused, paralyzed. Angel shifted her gaze to the dark water below. Fear entered the Eraser's eyes, and his wings folded. He dropped like a rock.

"You're getting scary, you know that?" I said to Angel, not really kidding. I mean, making an Eraser drop right out of the sky just by telling him to -jeez.

 _And Iggy_ said the Voice. I veered off to help Iggy, who was in tight hand-to-hand with an Eraser.

"Ig!" I called, as he grabbed the Eraser's shirt.

"Max, get out of here!" Iggy yelled, and released the shirt, letting himself fall quickly out of reach.

I had time to think Uh-oh, and then the small explosive Iggy had stuck down the Eraser's shirt detonated, leaving an ugly gaping hole in his chest. Shrieking, the Eraser plummeted heavily downward.

And how did Iggy manage to stash his seemingly endless supply of explosives on his person without my even having a clue? Got me.

"You . . . are ... a . . . fridge . . . with wings," Fang ground out, punching an Eraser hard with every word. "We're ... freaking ... ballet... dancers." Once again Crater just looked at him for three long seconds before rolling her eyes and going back to work.

 _Take a deep breath_ , Max, said my Voice, and I obeyed without question.

At that moment, I felt a blow to my back, between my wings, that knocked the wind out of me. I rolled, belly-up, using the oxygen I'd just gotten, trying to suck in more air.

Whirling, I snapped both feet out in a hard kick into the Eraser's face, then froze in shock. Ari!

He wheeled backward and I floundered away, wheezing and hoping I wouldn't pass out. Ari! But he was dead - I'd killed him. Hadn't I?

Ari lunged at Fang, just as I yelled "Fang!" Ari managed to take a swipe at Fang's side, shredding his jacket. Crater, like a female Superman, punched him right in the face and he looked at her surprised. Let me tell you this, Crater is scary as her Eraser-self. She _will_ kill you if you mess with her. But like I said, not us. She's like that fun mom that everyone likes to be with but the same age as us.

Drawing back, gasping, I took stock of the situation. The few remaining Erasers were falling back, retreating. Below, I saw a white splash as an Eraser hit the ocean. That had to hurt.

Now it was just Ari against us. He looked around, then fell back as well, closer to his squad.

The six of us slowly regrouped as Ari began to fly clumsily away, his enormous wings working hard to keep his heavy body aloft. His squad surrounded him, a bunch of huge, hairy crows gone wrong.

"We'll be back!" he snarled.

It was really Ari's voice.

"Boy, you just can't kill people like you used to," said Fang. We hovered in place for several minutes, waiting to see if there would be a second attack. For the moment, we seemed in the clear, and I took the time to catalog our injuries. Fang was flying awkwardly, his arm pressed against his side.

"I'm fine," he said curtly, noticing me watching him.

"Angel? Gazzy? Nudge? Report," I said.

"Leg hurts, but I'm okay," said the Gasman.

"I'm fine," said Angel. "And so are Total and Celeste." Celeste was the small angel-dressed stuffed bear Angel had - well, let's say - been given at a toy store in New York.

"I'm okay," said Nudge, but she sounded whipped.

"My nose," said Iggy, pressing it hard to stop the bleeding. "But no biggie."

Crater just shrugged. "I stubbed my toe kicking them Hunters in the face. Does that count?" I rolled my eyes. I swear she's impossible. Here fighting stubbing her toe is about as hurt as she can get but in New York a while ago she complained about a stinging paper cut she got while reading the newspaper.

"Okay, then," I said. "We're almost to DC, and it should be easy to get lost in another big city. We good to go?"

Everyone nodded, and we swung in a tight, graceful arc to return to our flight path.

"So ... what was with the flying Erasers?" Iggy said a few minutes later. Crater hit him in the back of the head when he jerked his thumb in her general direction.

"I'm guessing a new prototype," I said. "But, man, they're failures. They were having a hard time flying and fighting at the same time."

"Like they'd just learned to fly, you know?" said Nudge. "I mean, compared to hawks, we look clumsy. But compared to those Erasers, we're, like, poetry in motion."

I smiled at Nudge's description, silently checking out my own aches and pains.

"They were bad fliers," Angel chimed in. "And in their minds, they weren't all Kill the mutants, like they usually are. They were like, Remember to flap!" I saw how frustrated Crater looked since she seemed to be the only successful flying Eraser or Hunter as she says it. "I'm right here ya know. It's kinda awkward when y'all act like there ain't no other Hunt'r 'round!"

I laughed at Angel's imitation of a deep, growly Eraser voice. "Did you pick up on anything else, Angel?" asked.

"You mean besides dead Ari showing up?" Gazzy said, sounding bummed.

"Yeah," I said. Just then I caught a warm updraft and coasted for a minute, enjoying a feeling of pure bliss.

"Well, none of them really felt familiar," said Angel, thinking.

Having a six-year-old mind reader came in handy. Sometimes I wished Angel's mind reads were a little more specific, or that they'd come when we wanted. Then maybe she'd be able to warn us that an Eraser was about to drop in and say hi. But sometimes she just gave me the willies. Angel was starting to control people with her mind - not just Erasers - and I wasn't sure when she was crossing the line into, say, witchcraft, for instance.

A while later, I realized that Fang wasn't beside me and I looked around to see him below, maybe twenty feet back. He'd been silent, not unusual for him, but now I could see that his flying was ragged and off-balance. His face seemed paler, and his lips were pressed tightly together.

I dropped back and swooped down next to him.

"What's going on?" I said in my no-nonsense tone. It had never worked on him before, but a girl had to keep trying.

"Nothing," he said, but that one word was tight and strained. Which meant he was lying through his teeth.

"Fang -," I began, and then saw that the arm pressed against his side was dark and wet. Blood. "Your arm!"

" 'S not my arm," he muttered. Then his eyes fluttered shut and he started to lose altitude fast.

Really fast.

"Iggy!" I yelled as cold panic ripped right through me. Not Fang. Please let Fang be okay. "Over here!" Crater ran over or flew over with us quickly.

Then Iggy, Crater and I flew beneath Fang, supporting him. I felt Fang's dead weight on me, saw his closed eyes, and suddenly I felt as if I couldn't breathe.

"Let's land, see what's wrong!" I told Iggy, and he nodded.

We flew hard toward the narrow, rocky shore edging the black ocean. Iggy and I landed awkwardly, Fang limp between us. The younger kids scurried over to help us carry him to a flattish, sandier place.

 _Stop the bleeding_ , said the Voice.

"What's the matter with him?" Nudge asked, dropping to her knees next to Fang.

Checking him out, I saw that Fang's shirt and jacket were soaked with blood, the dark fabric gleaming wetly. I tried to keep my face calm.

"Let's just see what we're dealing with here," I said steadily and quickly unbuttoned Fang's shirt.

Now I saw that the shirt was shredded, and beneath it, so was Fang. Ari had managed to do this ... obscenity.

Nudge drew in a quick gasp when she saw the damage, and I looked up. "Nudge, you and Gazzy and Angel rip up a shirt or something. Make strips for bandages."

Nudge just stared at Fang.

"Nudge!" I said more firmly, and she snapped out of it.

"Uh, yeah. Come on, guys. I have an extra shirt here ... an' I got a knife..."

The three younger kids moved away while Iggy's sensitive hands brushed Fang's skin like butterflies.

"This feels real bad. Real bad," Iggy said in low voice. "How much blood has he lost?"

"A lot," I said grimly. Even his jeans were soaked with it.

"Jus' a scratch," Fang said fuzzily, his eyelids fluttering.

"Shhh!" I hissed at him. "You should have told us you were hurt!"

 _Stop the bleeding_ , the Voice said again.

"How?" I cried in frustration.

"How what?" Iggy asked, and I shook my head impatiently.

 _Put pressure on it, said the Voice. Press the cloth over it and lean on the wounds with both hands. Elevate his feet, Max._

"Iggy," I said, "lift Fang's feet. Guys, you got those strips ready?"

The Gasman handed me a bunch, and I quickly folded them into a pad. Placing it over the gaping slices in Fang's stomach was like putting my finger in a dike to stop a flood, but it was all I had, so I did it. I pressed both my hands over the pad, trying to keep a steady pressure on it.

Under Fang's side, the sand was turning dark with his blood.

"Someone's coming," said Angel.

Erasers? I looked up to see a man jogging along the shore. It was almost dawn, and seagulls were starting to wheel and cry above the water.

The man slowed to a walk when he saw us. He seemed ordinary, but looks could be deceiving, and usually were.

"Kids, you okay?" he called. "What are you doing out here so early?" He frowned when he saw Fang, then looked scared when he figured out what all the dark wet stuff was.

Before I could say anything, he'd whipped out his cell phone and called 911.

I looked down at Fang, then glanced over at Iggy's tight face. In a second I realized we had to suck it up - Fang was hurt bad. We needed outside help. Everything in me wanted to grab Fang, get the flock, and tear out of here, away from strangers and doctors and hospitals. But if I did that, Fang would die.

"Max?" The Gasman sounded scared. In the distance, the obnoxious wail of an ambulance siren was drawing closer.

"Nudge?" I said, speaking fast. 'Take Gazzy and Angel and find a place to hide. We'll go to the hospital. You stay around here, and I'll come back when I can. Quick, before the EMT guys get here."

"No," said the Gasman, his eyes on Fang.

I stared at him. "What did you say?"

"No," he repeated, a mulish look coming over his face. "We're not leaving you and Fang, Crater, and Iggy."

"Excuse me?" I said, steel in my voice. Fang's blood had soaked the cloth and was seeping between my fingers. "I'm telling you to get out of here." I made myself sound cold as ice.

"No," Gazzy said again. "I don't care what happens - you're not leaving us again."

'That's right," said Nudge, crossing her arms over her skinny chest.

Angel nodded next to her. Even Total, sitting on the sand by Angel's feet, seemed to bob his head in agreement.

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I was stunned - they'd never disobeyed a direct order.

I wanted to start shrieking at them, but it was already too late: Two paramedics were running across the sand, holding a body board. The flashing lights of the ambulance made intermittent rosy stripes across all our faces.

"Goveryou," I said tightly, using a secret-language that went back to when we were kept in a lab. It was used in cases of extreme emergency when we didn't want anyone to understand us. "Allay. Todo ustedes. Egway."

"No," said the Gasman, his lower lip starting to tremble. "Neckerchu." Crater just looked at us as if we went bonkers.

"What's happened here?" One of the paramedics dropped down next to Fang, already taking out his stethoscope.

"Accident," I said, still glaring at Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel. Crater stepped up and spoke. "You speak Italian?" One paramedic nodded. Crater spoke quickly looking panicked and kept looking at Fang and saying, Nick, something and the guy just nodded. It sounded like this.

"Ciao il mio nome è Crater Beattie, il mio amico qui è Nick Ride e lui è ferito. Si prega di portarlo al più vicino ospedale non appena possibile. Ti spiegherò dopo una volta che sia giusto e stabile. Per favore sbrigati!" {I used google translate so I don't know if this is accurate but it good enough for me. It says for those of you who don't know Italian like me but love the language, "Hello my name is Crater Beattie, my friend here is Nick Ride and he is injured. please get him to the nearest hospital as soon as you can. I will explain to you after once he is okay and stable enough. Please hurry!"}

Reluctantly I removed my hands from the soaked pad. Fang's face was white and still. The paramedic that just spoke with Crater turned to me. "He name is Nick Ride?" I nodded. Another paramedic shone a small flashlight into Fang's eyes, and I realized Fang was truly unconscious. My sense of fear and danger escalated: Not only were we about to enter a hospital, which would freak us all out, but it might end up being for nothing. Because Fang could die anyway.

The ambulance felt like a jail cell on wheels.

The antiseptic smell inside made my stomach knot with nightmare memories of the School. In the back of the ambulance, I held Fang's cold hand, which now had a saline drip taped into it. I couldn't say anything to the flock, not in front of the EMT, and I was too upset, scared, and mad to come up with anything coherent anyway.

Is Fang okay? I silently asked my Voice. Not that the Voice had ever once answered a direct freaking question. It didn't break the pattern now.

"Uh-oh - he's fibrillating," one paramedic said urgently.

He pointed to the portable EKG machine, which was going thump-thump-thump very fast. "Get the paddles."

"No!" I said loudly, startling everyone. The paramedic held the shock paddles, looking surprised. "That's always how his heart is. It always beats really fast. That's normal for him."

I don't know if the paramedic would have used the paddles anyway, but just then we roared into the hospital emergency bay and all was chaos.

Orderlies ran out with a gurney, the EMT guys started rattling off Fang's stats to a nurse. And then Fang was wheeled out of sight, down a hall and through some doors.

I started to follow, but a nurse stopped me.

"Let the doctors see him first," she said, flipping a page on her clipboard. "You can give me some information. Now, what's his name? Is he your boyfriend?"

"His name is ... Nick," I lied nervously. Following the story that Crater made up. "Nick Ride. He's my brother."

The nurse looked at me, my blond hair and fair skin, and I could tell she was mentally comparing me with Fang - who had black hair, dark eyes, olive skin.

"He's all of our brother's," said Nudge ungrammatically.

The nurse looked at Nudge, who was black, and at the rest of us, none of whom really matched, except Angel and Gazzy, the only true siblings among us. I was about to talk but Crater walked over quickly twitching her shoulder from time to time and tapping her foot.

"We were adopted," she said. "Our parents are ... missionaries." Excellent! I mentally patted Crater on the back. Brilliant! Missionaries! "They're away on a... short mission. Max over here is in charge." She put this charm into her words. Worry, fear, stress, and for an effect, she put tears in her eyes and covered her mouth and took a steady breath. "W-will he be okay?" The nurse looked so confused.

She mentally compared Crater to the rest of us. She was the only one who really looked related to Fang. Long dark hair. That olive pale skin. Lanky and twitchy. They could have been twins or siblings except for the blue eyes and freckles.

A doctor in green jammies hurried up to us. "Miss?" he said, looking at me, glancing at all of us. "Could you come with me, right now?"

"Think he noticed the wings yet?" I heard Iggy barely murmur. I tapped Iggy twice on the back of his hand. It meant You 're in charge till I get back. He nodded, and I followed the doctor down the hall, feeling like I was on death row.

Walking quickly, the doctor looked at me in that zoo-exhibit way I've become familiar with. My heart sank.

All of my worst fears were coming true. I could already see the mesh of a big dog crate closing in around me. Those freaking Erasers! I hated them! They always showed up, and when they did, they destroyed everything.

 _You have to respect your enemy, Max, said the Voice. Never, ever underestimate them. The second you do, they'll squash you. Be smart about them. Respect their abilities, even if they don't respect yours._

I swallowed hard. Whatever.

We pushed through heavy double doors and were in a small, tiled, very scary room. Fang was on a gurney.

He had a tube going down his throat and more tubes attached to his arms. I pressed my hand to my mouth. I'm not squeamish, but cracked, painful memories of the experiments done on us at the School were seeping into my brain, and I wished that my Voice would keep talking, say something really annoying to distract me.

Another doctor and a nurse were standing by Fang. They had cut his shirt and jacket off. The horrible jagged claw wounds in his side were still bleeding.

Now that he had me here, the doctor didn't seem to know what to say.

"Will - will he be okay?" I asked, feeling as if I were choking. Life without Fang was unimaginable.

"We don't know," said one of the doctors, looking very concerned.

The woman doctor gestured to Fang. "How well do you know him?"

"He's my brother."

"Are you - like him?" she asked.

"Yes." I set my jaw and kept my eyes on Fang. I felt my muscles tighten, a new, unwelcome flood of adrenaline icing its way through my veins. Okay, first I would slam this little trolley against the nurse's legs. ...

"So you can help us," the first doctor said, sounding relieved. " 'Cause we're not recognizing this stuff. What about his heartbeat?"

I looked at the EKG. The blips were fast and erratic.

"It should be smoother," I said. "And faster." I snapped my fingers a bunch of times to demonstrate.

"Can I... ?" the doctor asked, motioning his stethoscope toward me. I nodded warily.

He listened to my heart, a look of total amazement on his face.

Then he moved his stethoscope over my stomach, in several places. "Why can I hear air moving down here?" he asked.

"We have air sacs," I explained quietly, feeling as if my throat were closing. My hands tightened into fists by my sides. "We have lungs, but we also have smaller air sacs. And - our stomachs are different. Our bones. Our blood." Gee, pretty much everything.

"And you have ... wings?" the second doctor asked in a low voice. I nodded.

"You're a human-avian hybrid," the first doctor said.

"That's one name for it," I said tightly. As opposed to, say, mutant freak. "I prefer Avian American."

I glanced at the nurse, who looked scared and like she'd rather be anywhere but here. I so related.

The female doctor became all business. "We're giving him saline, to counter the shock, but he needs blood."

"You can't give him hu- regular blood," I said. All the scientific knowledge I'd gleaned over the years from reports and experiments started coming to the surface. "Our red blood cells have nuclei." Like birds'.

The doctor nodded. "Get ready to give him a donation," she instructed me briskly.

Twenty minutes later, I was two pints lighter and dizzy as a dodo bird from it. 1 shouldn't have given that much blood, but Fang needed even more, and it was the best I could do. Now he was in surgery.

I made my way down the hall to the waiting room, which was crowded - but not with bird kids.

Quickly I walked the perimeter, in case they were under chairs or something. No flock.

My head swiveled as I checked one hall and then another. I was already weak and kind of nauseated, and the fear of losing my flock made me feel like hurling was seconds away.

"They're down here." A short, dark-haired nurse was speaking to me. I locked my gaze on her.

She handed me a small plastic bottle of apple juice and a muffin. "Eat this," she told me. "It'll help with the dizziness. Your... siblings are in room seven." She pointed down the hall.

"Thanks," I muttered, not knowing yet if I meant it.

Room 7 had a solid door, and I opened it without knocking. Five pairs of worried bird-kid and Eraser eyes looked up at me. Relief-however temporary - made my knees weak.

"You must be Max," said a voice.

My stomach seized up. Oh, no, I thought, taking in the guy's dark gray suit, the short, regulation hair, the almost invisible earpiece of his comm system. Eraser? It was getting harder to tell with each new batch. This guy lacked a feral gleam in his eyes - but I wasn't going to let down my guard.

"Please, sit down," said another voice.

There were five of them, two men and three women, looking very governmenty, sitting around a fake-wood conference table.

Iggy, Crater, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were also sitting there, with plastic cafeteria trays of food in front of them. I realized that none of them had touched their food, despite the fact that they must be starving, and I was so proud of their caution that tears almost started in my eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked. Amazingly, my voice was calm and even. Points to me.

"We're from the Federal Bureau of Investigation," one man said, reaching out to hand me his business card. It had a little federal seal and everything. Not that that meant squat. "And we're on your side. We just became aware that you were having some trouble here, and we came to see if we could help."

He sounded so sincere.

"How nice of you!" I said, sinking into a chair before I fainted. "But aren't most people in a hospital, uh, having some trouble? I doubt the FBI comes calling on them. So what do you want with us?"

I saw one agent stifle a grin, and their eyes all met for a second.

The first man, Dean Mickelson according to his card, smiled ruefully. "We know you've been through a lot, Max. And we're sorry that. . . Nick got hurt. You're in a bad spot here, and we can help."

I was really tired and needed to think. My flock was watching me, and I could smell their hot breakfasts from where I sat. "Angel," I said, "give Total some of your food and see if he keels over. If he doesn't, you all can go ahead and eat."

As if he knew his name, Total leaped up onto a chair next to Angel and wagged his tail. Angel hesitated - she didn't want to take a chance.

"Look," said the female agent. She stood up and took a bite of Angel's scrambled eggs.

The other four agents followed her lead, sampling the four other trays. Just then there was a tap on the door, and a younger agent handed in a sixth tray, for me. An agent took a bite off my plate, then set the tray on the table. "Okay?" he asked.

We watched the agents with interest, waiting to see if they would suddenly clutch their throats and fall gasping to the floor.

They didn't.

"Okay, dig in, guys," I said, and the flock fell on their food like, um, Erasers. No offense to Crater.

Gazzy was done first - he'd practically inhaled his. "Can I have maybe two more trays?" he asked.

Startled, Dean nodded and went to give the order.

"So, how are you here to help us?" I said between bites. "How did you know we were here?"

"We'll answer all your questions," said the other guy. "But we need you to answer some questions too. We thought it might be easier if we went one-on-one - less distracting. If you're done eating, we can move into here."

He opened a door behind him leading into a larger conference room. Several more agents were milling around, and they stopped talking to look at us.

"You're not separating us," I said.

"No, just separate tables," said the woman. "All in the same room, see?"

I groaned inwardly. When was the last time we had slept? Was it only two days ago we were escaping through the sewer tunnels in New York? Now Fang was under the knife, we were surrounded by God knows who these people really were, and I didn't see a way out of it. Not without leaving Fang behind. Which I wouldn't do.

Sighing, I pushed away my empty tray and nodded to the others.

Let the questioning begin.

 **(Angle)**

"And what's your name, sweetie?"

"Ariel," said Angel.

"Okay, Ariel. Have you ever heard of anyone named Jeb Batchelder?"

The agent held up a photograph, and Angel looked at it. Jeb's familiar face looked back at her, and it hurt her heart.

"No," she said.

"Um, okay ... can you tell me what your relationship is with Max?"

"She's my sister. You know, because of the missionaries. Our parents."

"Okay, I see. And where did you get your dog?"

"I found him in the park." Angel fidgeted and looked over at Max. She thought, Okay, enough questions. You can go.

The agent sitting across from her paused and looked blankly at the notes she was writing.

"Uh - I guess that's enough questions," the agent said, looking confused. "You can go."

"Thanks," said Angel, slipping out of her chair. She snapped her fingers for Total, and he trotted after her.

 **(Gazzy)**

"And how do you spell that?" the agent asked.

"Captain, like the captain of a ship," the Gasman explained. "And then Terror, you know, T-E-R-O-R."

"Your name is Captain Terror."

"That's right," the Gasman said, shifting in his chair-He glanced at Max, who was speaking very quietly to her agent. "Are you really FBI?"

The agent smiled briefly. "Yes. How old are you?"

"Eight. How old are you?"

The agent looked startled. "Uh ... um, you're kind of tall for an eight-year-old, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh. We're all tall. And skinny. And we eat a lot. When we can get it."

"Yes, I see. Tell me ... Captain, have you ever seen anything like this?" The agent held up a blurry black-and-white photo of an Eraser, half-morphed.

"Gosh, no," said the Gasman, opening his blue eyes wide. "What is that?"

The agent seemed at a loss for words.

 **(Iggy)**

"And you're blind?"

"Uh-huh," Iggy said, trying to sound bored.

"Were you born that way?"

"No."

"How did you become blind, uh, Jeff, is it?"

"Yeah, Jeff. Well, I looked directly at the sun, you know, the way they always tell you not to. If only I had listened."

 **(Nudge)**

"And then I had, like, three cheeseburgers, and they were awesome, you know? And those fried pie things? Those apple pies? They're really great. Have you ever tried them?" Nudge looked hopefully at the woman sitting across from her.

"Uh, 1 don't think so. Can you spell your name for me, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh. It's K-R-Y-S-T-A-L. I like my name. It's pretty. What's your name?"

"Sarah. Sarah McCauley."

"Well, that's an okay name too. Do you wish it was something different? Like, sometimes I wish my name was kind of fancier, you know? Like - Cleopatra. Or Marie-Sophie-Therese. Did you know that the queen of England has, like, six names? Her name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. Her last name is Windsor. But she's so famous she just signs her name 'Elizabeth R,' and everyone knows who it is. I'd like to be that famous someday. I would just sign 'Krystal.'"

The agent was silent for a moment, then she seemed to recover herself. "Have you ever heard of a place called the School?" she asked. "We think it's in California. Have you ever been to California?"

Nudge looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "California? Like, surfers and movie stars and earthquakes? No. I'd like to go. Is it pretty?" Her large brown eyes looked innocently at the agent.

 **(Crater)**

Ah, Italian. The beautiful language that no one bothers to learn until someone speaks it and suddenly you want to know it so you don't sound stupid talking to me in Spanish. Mom taught me foreign languages so I can fake not knowing English.

Two agents were in front of me. One to translate and the other to ask and write.

"So your name is Crater Beattie?" The woman next to her repeated the question when I looked at her confused.

"Quindi il tuo nome è Crater Beattie?"

"Si. Mi chiamo Crater Beattie." {yeah. My name is Crater Beattie.} I nodded and smiled. She nodded to the woman writing this all down.

"Do you speak English Crater?" I nodded and put my fingers inches apart. "Un po 'ma non molto." The lady nodded. "So from how you were talking earlier you are Italian yes?" I nodded. "I Italian yes." She smiled. "I see, so you were adopted by Max's family?" I nodded again. "Yes, Max and rest are family. I kept last name to honor family of past." Man, I was nailing this accent. She nodded. Holding up a picture she asked in my 'native language.' "Lo hai visto prima?" {have you seen this before.}

It was an eraser half morphed. "Hairy man?" She shook her head. "Really buff hairy man?" She had given up. "Have you seen this man, Jeb Batchelder?" I shook my head at the glasses guy. He was the one who had my family killed. "He wanted man?" She nodded. "We'd like to know where he is. Do you know?" I shook my head.

The one who translated frowned. "Are you really Italian?" I growled. Seriously. This son of a- I slammed my hands on the table startling everyone in the room. It all went silent Andy I raised my voice done with this crap.

"Cosa, pensi di fare questo in giro mentre vado a perdere il mio tempo che potrei spendere a guardare mio fratello che mi ha reso necessario ricordare è su un letto ospedaliero brealey stabile!?" {What, do you think I'm making this up as I go and just wasting my time that I could spend looking after my brother who made I need to remind you is on a hospital bed barely stable!?}

I growled ready to throw her out the window. She was about to talk but I was through. My freaking long lost cousin, who everyone thought was dead and now I suddenly find him, is now on his freaking goddamn deathbed and she was wasting my time!

I jabbed a finger into her chest getting up from my seat and walking over to her. "Quel ragazzo che tutti voi pensi sia buono come il cazzo fottuto è mio fratello! Potrei dargli tutto l'aiuto che ha bisogno ma no, ti piace perdere tempo della gente mentre potrei stare con lui! Se sei finito con il tuo stupido interrogatorio, ti suggerisco di lasciare la mia famiglia perché se stai solo bloccando in modo che possano tirare la spina la tua agente sarà sparato a due donne e sai me!" I yelled and Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Total, and Gazzy had to hold me back from throwing her out the damn window.

{That boy you all think is as good as fucking dead is my brother! I could be giving him all the help he needs but no, you just love to waste people's time while I could be with him! If you're done with your stupid questioning I suggest you leave my family be because if you just stalling so they can pull the plug your agency will be shot two women ya hear me!}

I fell to my knees and cried. Cazzo! Cazzo, cazzo, cazzo, cazzo, cazzo, cazzo! I just find Fang and now he can be gone. He was the reason we were visiting his family. We were coming over to help his mom since she was throwing him a birthday party even though everyone thought he died.

 **(Max)**

"You can call me Agent Mickelson," he told me with a smile. "What about you? Is Max short for something? Maxine?"

"No, Dean. It's just Max."

He blinked once, then referred back to his notes. "I see. Now, Max, I think we both know your parents aren't missionaries."

I opened my eyes wide. "No? Well, for God's sake, don't tell them. They'd be crushed. Thinking they're doing the Lord's work and all."

Dean looked at me, I dunno, as if a hamster had just snarled at him. He tried another tack. "Max, we're looking for a man named Jeb Batchelder. Do you have any knowledge of his whereabouts?" The agent held up a picture of Jeb, and my heart constricted. For a second I was torn: give that lying, betraying jerk up to the FBI, which would be fun, or keep my mouth shut about anything important, which would be smart.

I shook my head regretfully. "Never seen him."

"Have you ever been to Colorado?"

I frowned. "Is that one of those square ones, in the middle?"

I saw Dean take a deep breath.

Suddenly there was a loud slamming sound, we looked over to see that Crater had stood up and began to yell.

"Cosa, pensi di fare questo in giro mentre vado a perdere il mio tempo che potrei spendere a guardare mio fratello che mi ha reso necessario ricordare è su un letto ospedaliero brealey stabile!?" her agents looked terrified of angry Crater, which is unhealthy to _not_ be afraid of.

She jabbed a finger to the lady who was supposed to translate for her. "Quel ragazzo che tutti voi pensi sia buono come il cazzo fottuto è mio fratello! Potrei dargli tutto l'aiuto che ha bisogno ma no, ti piace perdere tempo della gente mentre potrei stare con lui! Se sei finito con il tuo stupido interrogatorio, ti suggerisco di lasciare la mia famiglia perché se stai solo bloccando in modo che possano tirare la spina la tua agente sarà sparato a due donne e sai me!" I have no idea what she said but I'm guessing it was a threat to throw her out the window because the two ladies looked ready to run.

Everyone stood and held her back as her eyes weld with tears. And I didn't know what to do. She fell to her knees and began to cry and muttered some cuss words. Everyone was shaken up especially the women who were now paler than Fang was. One looked ready to faint, the other who was writing it all down did.

Dean looked surprised but shook it off.

"Max, we want to help you," Dean said quietly. "But you've got to help us too. Fair is fair."

I stared at him. That was the funniest thing I'd heard in days.

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me you have a stronger motive for me than 'fair is fair.' Life isn't fair, Dean." My voice strengthened, and I leaned forward, closer to the agent's impassive face. "Nothing is fair, ever. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I need to help you because fair is fair? Try, 'I need you to help me so I won't rip out your spine and beat you with it.' I might respond to that. Maybe."

Dean's jaw clenched, and two pink splotches appeared on his cheeks. I got the feeling that he was more mad at himself than at me.

"Max," he began his voice tense but was interrupted.

"Thank you, Dean," said a woman's voice. "I'll take over from here."

Dean straightened up and smoothed his expression. The new woman gave him a friendly smile and waited.

She was blond - I couldn't tell how old. She had the sort of professional polish and attitude of a major-network news anchor. She was pretty, actually.

Dean gathered up his files, nodded at me, then went to confer with another agent. The new woman sat down across from me.

"They're all kind of full of hot air," she whispered behind her hand.

I was startled into a grin.

She reached her hand across the table for me to shake. "My name is Anne Walker," she said. "And yes, I'm one of Them. I'm the one they call in when everything goes kablooey."

"Have things gone kablooey?" I asked politely.

She gave a short laugh. "Uh, yeah," she said in a "duh" tone of voice. "When we get a call from a hospital saying they've got at least two and possibly six previously unknown recombinant DNA life-forms and one of them is gravely injured, then, yes, I think we can safely say that things have gone kablooey with a capital 'kuh.'"

"Oh," I said. "Gee, we sound so important."

One side of her mouth twitched. "Uh-huh. Why the surprise? Hasn't anyone ever told you you were important?"

Jeb. The one word shocked my senses, and I went into total shutdown so I wouldn't start bawling like the goofy recombinant life-form that I am. Jeb had made me feel important, once upon a time. He'd made me feel smart, strong, capable, special, important... you name it. Lately, though, he mostly made me feel blinding rage and a stomach-clenching sense of betrayal.

"Look," I said coolly, "we're in a tough spot here. I know it and you know it. One of my fl- brothers are hurt, and we need help. Just tell me what I have to do so we can get that help, and then we'll be on our merry way."

I shot a quick glance at the flock. They were sitting together, eating bagels and watching me. Gazzy cheerfully held up a bagel to show he was saving one for me. Crater calmed down and was sitting on the floor next to Iggy talking about something.

Anne's sympathetic look set my teeth on edge. She leaned over the table so she wouldn't be overheard. "Max, I'm not gonna tell you a bunch of crap," she said, surprising me again. "Like the crap you're giving us about your parents being missionaries. We both know that isn't true. And we both know that the FBI isn't in the business of just helping people out because they're so wonderful and special. This is the deal: We've heard about you. Rumors have been filtering into the intelligence community for years about a hidden lab producing viable recombinant life-forms.

"But it's never been verified, and people have always dismissed it as urban-legend stuff. Needless to say, the very possibility that it could be true - well, we've got people assigned to finding out and cataloging info, hearsay, or suspicion about you. You and your family."

Wait till she found out about the Erasers.

Anne took a breath and sat back, keeping her eyes on me. "So you see, we consider you important. We'd like to know everything about you. But more important, if the stories are true, then our entire country's safety could be at stake - if your so-called family were to get into the wrong hands. You don't know your own power."

She let that sink in for a moment, then smiled ruefully. "How about we make a trade? You give us a chance to learn about you - in nonpainful, noninvasive ways - and we'll give Nick the best medical care available and the rest of you a safe place to stay. You can rest up, eat, Nick can get better, and then you can decide what to do from there."

I felt like a starving mouse staring at a huge hunk of cheese.

Set right in the middle of an enormous, Max-sized trap.

I put a look of polite disinterest on my face. "And I believe that this is all straight up because ..."

"It would be great if I could offer you guarantees, Max," said Anne. "But I can't - not anything that you would believe. I mean, come on." She shrugged. "A written contract? My word of honor? A really sincere promise from the head of the FBI?"

We both laughed. Those wacky agents.

"It's just - you don't have a lot of choices here, Max. Not right now. I'm sorry."

I stared at the tabletop and thought. The horrible thing was, she was right. With Fang in such bad shape, she had us over a barrel. The best thing I could do was accept her offer of shelter and care for Fang, bide my time, and work out an escape later. Silently I swore a whole lot. Then I looked up.

"Well, say I accepted. Where's this safe place you're dangling in front of me?"

She looked at me. If she was surprised that I was going along with it, she didn't show it.

"My house," she said.

Fang came out of surgery almost two hours later. I was waiting outside the OR, wound tighter than a rubber ball.

The doctor I'd talked to came out, still in his green scrubs. I wanted to grab the front of his shirt, throw him against a wall, get some answers. But I'm trying to outgrow that kind of thing.

"Ah, yes, Max, is it?"

"Yeah. Max, it is." I waited tensely. If the unthinkable had happened, I'd snag the kids and make a run for it.

"Your brother Nick - it was a little dicey for a while. We gave him several units of blood substitute, and it brought his blood pressure up to a safe range."

My hands were clenching and unclenching. It was all I could do to stand there and focus on the words.

"He didn't go into cardiac arrest," the doctor said. "We were able to patch up his side, stop all the hemorrhaging. The main artery had been hit, and one of his ... air sacs."

"So what's he like now?" I forced my breathing to calm, tried to shut down my fight-or-flight response. Which in my case is, you know, literal.

"He's holding steady," the doctor said, looking tired and amazed. "If nothing goes wrong, he should be okay. He needs to take it easy for maybe three weeks."

Which meant probably about six days, given our incredibly fast healing and regenerative strengths.

But jeez. Six days was a long time.

"Can I see him?"

"Not till he comes out of recovery," the doctor said. "Maybe another forty minutes. Now, I'm hoping you can fill me in on some physiological stuff. I noticed -"

"Thank you, Doctor," said Anne Walker, coming up behind me.

"I mean, I wanted to know -," the doctor began, looking at me.

"I'm sorry," said Anne. "These kids are tired and need to rest. One of my colleagues can answer any questions you might have."

"Excuse me, but your colleagues don't know jack about us," I reminded Anne through clenched teeth.

The doctor looked irritated, but he nodded and went back down the hall.

Anne smiled at me. "We're trying to keep your existence somewhat quiet," she said. "Until we're certain you're safe. But that's great news about Nick."


	6. 6 Anna's barn-housethingy

(Max)

We walked to the waiting area. The flock jumped up when they saw me. I smiled and gave them a thumbs-up. Nudge whooped and slapped high fives with Gazzy, and Angel ran over to hug me hard. I swung her up and held her tight. Crater punched the air and nearly hit a light.

"He's gonna be fine," I confirmed.

"Can we see him?" Iggy asked.

"Ig, I hate to break this to you, but you're blind," I said, my relief making me tease him. I heard Crater holding in laughter. "However, in a little while, you can go listen to him breathe and maybe talk to him."

Iggy gave me a combination smile-scowl, which he's extraordinarily good at. He then hit Crater on the back of her head and she gave him a smiled.

"Hi, everyone," said Anne. I'd forgotten she was right behind me. "Max may have told you about me - I'm Anne Walker, from the FBI. Has Max filled you in on the agreement we made?"

She was smart: If I hadn't already told them about it, she'd just confirmed that it was a done deal.

"Yes," said Angel, looking at her. "We're going to stay at your house for a teensy little while."

"That's right," said Anne, smiling back.

"Us and Total," Angel said to make sure.

"Total?"

"My dog." Angel pointed under her chair, where Total was curled up, head poised neatly on his paws. Iggy elbowed Crater with a smirk and she hit him.

"How did you get a dog in here?" Anne asked, amazed. Ignoring Crater fighting with Iggy.

I didn't want to delve into that too much. "Yes! So, well, as soon as F- Nick is somewhat mobile, we'll go to Anne's house, rest up, get Nick up to a hundred percent. Cool?"

The others nodded with varying levels of enthusiasm.

"Fnick?" Iggy muttered, smirking.

I ignored him.

"Actually, Nick won't be mobile for at least a week," Anne said. "So we can all head to my place today, and he can come out when he's ready."

I saw Gazzy blink and Nudge frown.

"No," I said to Anne. "That wasn't what I agreed to. We're not leaving Nick here alone."

"He'll have doctors and nurses and two agents at his door. Round the clock," Anne promised.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "No. Two of your agents would be a snack for an Eraser." Crater glared at me and mouth 'oh no! What will we do with an eraser!?'. Oops. I keep forgetting with her.

Anne ignored my joke. Not surprisingly, since she probably didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

"It will be more comfortable for you at my house," Anne said. "Much better for you."

"But not much better for Nick," I said.

"But - Nick can't be moved,", Anne said. "Were you planning to just hang out in his room?"

"The girls can have the bed," Gazzy said. "Iggy and I can sleep on the floor." Crater glared at him.

"Excuse me, sexist piglet?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "How about the two smallest people share the bed 'cause they'll fit. That would be you and Angel."

"Yeah," said Nudge, with narrowed eyes. "Like, I'm too much of a cream puff to sleep on the floor?" Crater raised her hand. "I used to sleep on floor." Her accent not even an inch fake.

Gazzy got his stubborn face on, so I walked across the room before he could start arguing. Fang's hospital room was a double, but the other bed was empty. The two smaller kids would sleep in it, and the rest of us would make do.

"Of course, the prince gets his own bed all to himself," I said to Fang.

"That's right," Fang said hazily. "The prince has a gaping side wound."

He still looked like death, extremely pale and groggy. He couldn't eat, so he had an IV drip. Crater had given him another pint of bird-kid blood, and that had helped. Since she seems to have a lot of it. Like, a lot.

"Well, they sewed you up," I said. "You're pretty gape-free at this point."

"When do I get out of here?"

"They say a week."

"So, like, tomorrow?" he said.

'That's what I'm thinking."

"So, Fnick, can I change the channel?" Iggy asked. "There's a game on."

"Make yourself at home, Figgy," Fang said.

We crashed early and hard, given what we'd been through in the last twenty-four hours. By nine o'clock I was listening to the flock sleeping all around me. The agent guys had come up with some, like, yoga mats for us, and they weren't bad. Especially if you've logged time on rocky cave floors and concrete ledges in subway tunnels. Crater just ignored her mat and curled up into a ball next to the door.

Now it was quiet, and I was trying to shut my brain down. Voice? Any last-minute remarks you want to get off your chest before I crash?

 _You chose to stay with Fang._

No duh, I replied silently. What Gazzy had said, back on the beach... the little twerp was right. I shouldn't split us up again, even when it seemed safer to do it. We did best when we were all together. The whole family together.

 _Family is extremely important, said the Voice. Didn't you tell me that once?_

Yep, I thought. That's why we're going to find our parents as soon as we get out of here.

I took a deep breath, trying to relax. I was completely exhausted, but my brain was racing. Every time I closed my eyes, all sorts of images flashed through my mind - like buildings exploding, a mushroom cloud, ducks caught in oil slicks, mountains of trash, nuclear power plants. Waking nightmares.

So I sat up, eyes open, but it wasn't much better. I had started feeling bad earlier but hadn't told anyone. I had a headache, not a grenade-type headache, where my brain felt like it was being splattered against the inside of my skull, but just a regular headache. Fortunately, the grenade-type headaches were much fewer and farther between than they had been. My theory was that they were my brain getting used to sharing office space with my rude and uninvited guest: my Voice. At any rate, I was incredibly glad they were on leave of absence lately.

This wasn't like that. I was hot; my skin was burning. I felt like adrenaline was pouring into my system, making me so jumpy I couldn't stand it.

Were the Erasers tracking the chip in my arm that I'd seen in that X-ray at Dr. Martinez's office so many days ago? How did they keep finding us? The eternal question.

I glanced at Total, sleeping on the bed with Angel and Gazzy. He was on his back, paws in the air. Was he chipped? Were they tracking him now?

Ugh. I felt so hot and twitchy and sick. I wanted to lie down in snow, eat snow, rub it over my skin. I fantasized about throwing open the window and taking off into the cool night air. I imagined flying back to Dr. Martinez and her daughter, Ella, the only human friends I'd known. Dr. Martinez would know what to do. My heart was pounding so fast it felt like a staccato drumroll in my chest.

I stood up and picked my way quietly over sleeping bodies to the small sink in one wall. I turned on the cold water and let it run over my hands. Leaning down, I splashed my face again and again. It felt good, and I wished I could stand under an icy shower. Please don't let me get sick, I prayed. I can't get sick. I can't get Fang sick.

I don't know how long I hung over the sink, letting water trickle over my neck. Finally, I thought maybe I could try to sleep again, and I straightened up to dry my face.

And almost screamed.

I whirled around, but the room was quiet. I whipped back to stare in the mirror again, and it was still there: the Eraser.

I blinked rapidly. What the h was going on? The Eraser in the mirror blinked rapidly too.

The Eraser was me.

In an instant, cold sweat coated my forehead and the back of my neck.

I swallowed, and the Eraser Max in the mirror swallowed.

I opened my mouth and saw the long, sharp canines. But when I touched them with my finger, they felt small, smooth, normal. I touched my face and felt smooth skin, though the mirror showed me totally morphed.

I remembered how ill I had felt, hot and heart-poundy. Oh, God. What was this all about? Had I just discovered a new "skill," like Angel reading minds, Gazzy able to imitate any voice, Iggy identifying people by feeling their fingerprints? Had I just developed the skill of turning into an Eraser, our worst enemy?

I felt sick with revulsion and dread. I glanced guiltily around to make sure no one could see me like this. I didn't even know what they would see if they woke up. I felt normal. I looked like an Eraser. Kind of a cuter, blonder, Pekingesey Eraser.

 _Respect and honor your enemies said my Voice. Always. Know your friends well; know your enemies even better._

Oh, please, I begged silently. Please let this be just a horrible lesson and not reality. I promise, promise, promise to know my enemies better. Just let me lose the muzzle.

 _Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness, Max._

I stared at the mirror. Huh?

 _Your hatred of Erasers gives you the power to fight to the death. But that hatred also blinds you to the big picture: the big picture of them, of you, of everything in your life._

Um. Let me think about that and get back to you. Okay?

Ow. I winced and pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to rub the pain away. I touched my face one last time to make sure it really was smooth, and then I went and looked at Fang.

He was still breathing, sleeping. He looked better. Not so embalmed. He was going to be all right. I sighed, trying to release my pain and fear, then I curled up on my mat next to Nudge. I closed my eyes but didn't really have any hope of sleeping.

I lay quietly in the darkness. The only thing that made me feel better was listening to the even, regular, calm breathing of my sleeping flock.

"I don't understand it," said the doctor, gazing at Fang's wound.

Yeah, well, I thought, that's the whimsy of recombinant DNA.

The doc had come in to change the bandages this morning and found that Fang's gashes were almost healed, just thin pink lines of scar tissue.

"Guess I'm good to go," said Fang, trying to sit up. He was alert, himself, and happiness filled my heart. I'd been so scared - what would I do without Fang?

"Wait!" Anne Walker said, holding up her hand. "You're nowhere near ready to move or leave. Please, Nick, just lie still and rest."

Fang regarded her calmly, and I smirked to myself. If Anne thought I was uncooperative, wait till she dealt with a recovered Fang.

"Nick, now that you're feeling a bit better, maybe you can convince your brothers and sisters to leave with me," Anne said. "I've offered for all of you to come stay at my house, to rest and regroup." She gave a slight smile. "Max refused to leave without you. But I'm sure you can see that it's pointless for them to stay here and be uncomfortable. And you'd be joining us in a week or so,"

Fang just looked at her, waiting.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms.

"So, how do you feel about it, Nick?"

Actually, I'd already briefed him, early this morning. Since we were up at six. Since, at six, the nurse had been overcome with an overwhelming compulsion to take Fang's temperature right then. Crater also,t braked at her when she came in by the way. She blamed it on Total of course.

Fang met my eyes, and I let one side of my mouth droop.

"Whatever Max says," he said evenly. "She's in charge."

I grinned. I'll never get tired of hearing that.

Anne turned to look at me.

"I can't leave Nick," I said, sounding regretful.

"If you all stay, maybe I could examine -," the doctor began, and Anne turned to him as if she'd forgotten he was there.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said. "I appreciate all your help."

It was a dismissal, and the doctor didn't look happy. But he left.

"We heal really quickly," I told Anne. Last night Fang had still looked bad. And 1 had too, I thought, remembering the horrible Eraser reflection. But this morning I looked like me, and Fang looked much more like himself again.

Fang sat up. "What do I have to do to get some food in this joint?"

"You still have an IV," Anne said. "The doctors don't want you eating solid . .." Her voice trailed off as Fang's eyes narrowed.

"We saved a tray for you," I said. An orderly had brought us breakfast, and we'd saved some of everything for Fang. Crater practically gave him her whole tray. She shrugged. "Not very hungry. Sleepy yes. Hungry no."

Anne looked as though she wanted to say something but held it back. A good move on her part, I must say.

I gave the tray to Fang, and he dug into the food with quick precision.

"I need to get out of here," he said between bites. "The hospital smells alone are making me crawl the walls."

I knew what he meant. We all had the same reaction: Anything antiseptic-smelling, hospitally, science labby, brought back years' worth of bad memories.

I looked at Anne. "I think F- Nick is ready to come with us."

She looked at me, clearly thinking things through.

"Okay," she said finally, and I kept the surprise off my face. "Let me go clear up the paperwork. It'll take about an hour and a half to drive to my home. I live in northern Virginia. Okay?"

"Yeah," I said.

Anne left, and I looked around at the flock. "I don't know what's coming, guys, but keep your eyes open and heads up." I glanced at Fang. "You sure you can move?"

He shrugged, looking tired again, and pushed away the food tray. "Sure." He lay back down and shut his eyes.

"After all, Fnick is Superman," said Iggy.

"Shut up, Jeff," I said, but I was smiling. I lifted Iggy's fingers to my face so that he knew.

"Gol, Virginia is shore purty," I said to the Gasman, and he grinned.

But it really was. There were many hills of the "gently rolling" type, miles of trees that had been dipped in fiery, autumny paint, and swelling waves of green pastures, some even dotted with actual horses. It was gorgeous here.

Anne's huge Suburban held us all, and Fang got to recline most of the way. I kept an eye on him, noting the way his jaw tightened when we hit bumps, but he didn't complain. What was really hilarious was that Crater opened one of the windows and stuck her head out. Anne just gave her a weird look but shook it off.

Another fly in the ointment: I was having the same waves of heat and racing heart I'd had last night. My breath came in little pants, and I was so jumpy it felt as if bugs were crawling all over me.

Total had been sitting on my lap, looking out the window, and now he glanced at me with his shiny black eyes. Deliberately he got up and picked his way over Fang's lap and onto Angel's, as if to say, If you're going to be that hot, forget it.

"Oh, gosh, look at that," Nudge said, pointing out her window. "That horse is totally white. Like an angel horse. And what are those rolled-up straw things?"

"Bales of hay," said Anne from the front seat. "They roll them like that instead of making haystacks."

"It's so pretty here," Nudge went on, practically bouncing in her seat next to Anne. "I like these hills. What's the kind of tree with pointy leaves and all the colors?"

"Maples," Anne said. "They usually have the most color."

"What's your house like?" Nudge asked. "Is it all white with big columns? Like Tara? Did you see that movie?"

"Gone with the Wind," Anne said. "No, I'm afraid my house isn't anything like Tara. It's an old farmhouse. But I do have fifty acres of land around it. Plenty of room for you guys to run around. We're almost there."

Twenty minutes later, Anne pulled into a driveway and clicked an electronic gadget. A pair of wrought-iron gates swung open, and she pulled through.

The gates closed behind us, which made my sensors go on precautionary alert. Crater stiffened. We shared a look. Be on guard.

It took almost a whole minute to get to her house. The driveway was made of crushed shells and wound through beautiful trees arching overhead. Red and yellow leaves fluttered gently down onto the car.

"Well, here we are," she said, pulling around a corner. "I hope you like it."

We stared out the car windows. Anne's house looked like a painting. It had rounded river rocks on the bottom part, and clapboards above, and a big screened porch that covered almost the whole front. Large shrubs circled the yard, and some of them still had faded hydrangea blooms.

"There's a pond out back," Anne said, pulling into a parking space in front of the house. "It's so shallow that it might still be warm enough to swim in, in the afternoons. Here, everyone pile out."

We poured out of the car, glad to be in a wide-open space again.

'The air smells different here," said Nudge, wrinkling her nose. "It smells great."

The house stood on the top of a low hill. Sloping away from us were wide lawns and an orchard. The trees were actually covered with apples. Birds twittered and sang. I couldn't hear traffic or smell road tar or hear any other person.

Anne opened the front door. "Well, don't just stand there," she said with a laugh. "Come see your rooms."

I nodded, and Angel and Nudge started toward the house, followed by Gazzy.

Iggy was standing next to me. "What does it look like?" he asked in a low voice.

(Ari)

"It looks like paradise, Jeff," said Fang. The rough bark of the tree was cutting into his legs, but Ari paid no attention. That girl they always hung out with rolled her eyes and started telling Iggy what it all looked like.

After the pain of having huge wings retrofitted onto his shoulders, this was child's play. He grinned at that thought. Technically, anything he did was child's play: He was only seven years old. Eight next April. Not that it mattered. He wouldn't get presents or a cake. His dad probably wouldn't even remember.

He put the binoculars to his eyes again, clenching his jaw. He saw the mutant bird freaks get out of the car. He'd already been over the grounds, looked in the windows of the house. Those kids were in a for a cushy stay. At least for a while.

It wasn't fair. There wasn't even a word for how' unfair it was. Ari's hand clutched a small branch so tightly that the branch snapped, sending a long, thin sliver under his skin.

He looked at it, waiting for the pain signals to make their sluggish way to his brain. Bright red blood welled around the splinter. Ari pinched the splinter out and threw it away before his brain even recognized that he'd been hurt.

Here he was, in a tree, his team camped nearby, stuck watching the mutant freaks through binoculars.

He should be on the ground, tapping Max on the shoulder, seeing her whirl, then smashing his fist right into her face.

But no. Instead, she was sashaying inside the fancy house, thinking she was perfect, better than anyone, better than him.

The one fun thing of the last forty-eight hours had been Max's expression when she'd seen he was alive. She'd been shocked. Shocked and horrified, Ari remembered proudly. He wanted her to look like that every time she saw him.

So, fine. Get some R&R, Maximum, Ari thought acidly. Your time is coming. And I'll be there waiting for you. I'll always be there.

The hatred coiled in his gut, twisting his insides, and he felt himself morphing, his facial bones elongating, his shoulders hunching.

He watched as the coarse hair covered his arms, lightning fast, and ragged claws erupted from his fingertips.

He wanted to rake these claws down Max's face, that perfect face

Anguish welled up and choked him, turning his world black, and without thinking, he sank his fangs into his own arm. Clenching his jaw hard, he waited for the physical pain. Finally, gasping, he sat back, his mouth red with blood, his arm coldly numb with pain. Ah. That was better.

Guess how many bedrooms Anne's little country shack had. Seven. One for her, one for each bird kid. I had to share with Crater. Guess how many bathrooms it had. Five. Five bathrooms all in one house.

"Max!" The Gasman pounded on my bedroom door.

I opened it, my hair still wet from my long, incredibly hot shower.

"Can I go outside?" he asked.

"Gee, I had forgotten the natural color of your skin," I told him. "I was convinced you were kind of dirt colored."

He grinned at me. "Call it camouflage. Can I go outside?"

"Yeah, let's all go together, give Iggy some landmarks." Crater got up and ran outside happily. She's such a cinnamon roll.

"What is that, like, a plane hangar?" Nudge asked. A grove of trees had hidden the big red building from the house, but now that we were doing recon, we were finding all kinds of things.

"It's a barn," said Fang.

I was keeping an eye on him. As soon as he started to look tired, I was going to send him back to the house.

"A barn with animals?" asked Angel excitedly.

Just then, Total started barking, as if he'd picked up something's scent. Crater covered her own as a cough.

"Yep, guess so," I said, scooping Total up in my arms. "Listen, you," I told him. "No more with the barking. You're going to spook somebody." I looked at Crater meaning I meant her too.

Total looked offended but stayed quiet as long as I held him. C Ayer looked offended and rolled her eyes.

"That first one is Sugar," said Anne, coming up behind us. She'd given us free rein of the place after she'd shown us our rooms and stuff.

We stood in the open bam doorway and watched Sugar, a pale gray horse who was looking back at us with interest.

"He's beautiful," Nudge whispered.

"He's big," said the Gasman.

"Big and sweet," said Anne, opening a box and taking out a carrot. She handed it to Nudge and nodded at the horse. "Go on. He likes carrots. Hold it flat in your hand." Crater crooked her head o the side and so did Sugar.

Cautiously Nudge stepped forward, holding out the carrot. This is a kid who could break a man's ribs with a well-placed kick, but she was almost trembling as she approached the horse.

Sugar very delicately lipped up the carrot, then crunched it with satisfaction.

Nudge turned to me, her face glowing, and my heart caught in my throat. It was like we were inner-city kids getting a week on the farm as part of a social service program. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery and fresh air, there were animals, and -

"You guys have another half hour," Anne said, turning to go back to the house. "Dinner's at six." She left and Crater relaxed.

And, I was going to say, plenty of food. It was amazing.

Where was the catch? 'Cause I knew one was coming.

"Oh, yeah!" said the Gasman, looking at the pond. "I am so there!"

Anne's pond, was about as big as a football stadium, with a small, rocky shore edged by cattails and daylilies.

I stared at it suspiciously, waiting for the Pond Ness Monster to rise out of its depths. Okay, call me hopelessly paranoid, but this whole place was starting to seem creepily idyllic. Like, my bedroom was charming. Charming! What did I know about charming? I'd never called anything charming before in my life.

And now here I was, eyes narrowed at a picture-perfect pond. Was this some new freakish test?

"We don't have time right now, Gazzy," I said, clamping down on my rising fears. "But maybe we can go swimming tomorrow."

"It's just so beautiful here," Nudge said, gazing at the untrustable rolling hills, the dark, secret-concealing orchard, the pond (see above rant re pond), the small, literally babbling brook that ran into the pond. "Like the Garden of Eden."

"Yeah, and that turned out so well," I muttered under my breath.

"Look, there are more animals over there," said Angel, pointing.

No doubt tidy, Martha Stewart, heirloom pedigree animals enclosed in chintz pens.

"Okay, we can swing by 'em on the way back to the house. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving." I glanced over at Fang, who was starting to look a little pale. Tonight after dinner I would try to get him to take it easy in one of the too-comfortable recliners by the horribly cozy fireplace.

"Sheep!" Angel cried, catching sight of some fluffy brown wool. Crater and Angel ran over and smiled as they pet the sheep.

"Anne is quite the animal lover," Fang said to me as we followed Angel. "Horses, sheep, goats. Chickens. Pigs."

"Yeah," I said. "I wonder who's for dinner?"

He flashed one of his rare smiles at me, and it was like the sun coming out. I felt my cheeks get hot and strode on ahead.

"Pigs, look," said the Gasman excitedly. "Come here, Ig." Gazzy guided Iggy's hand down, and Iggy scratched a small brown pig behind its ears, sending it into ecstatic squeals.

"Pigs are so lucky," said the Gasman, as images of bacon danced in my head. "No one cares if they're dirty or live in a pigsty."

"That's because they're pigs," I pointed out. Just then, Total leaped out of my arms, scratching me.

"Hey!" I said and then saw a large black-and-white shepherdy-looking dog bounding up. Total braced his front legs and barked loudly, and the other dog barked back. Craters face whipped over and growled at the other dog and her ears began to show. She barked at the dog along with Total.

"Total!" I called, clapping my hands. "Stop it! It's his yard. Angel! Crater you too! I thought you were supposed to be mature!"

Angel was already trotting over, and she grabbed Total's collar. Crater frowned at the shepherd and then huffed and stopped.

"Since when does he have a collar?" I asked.

"Okay, Total, calm down," Angel said, stroking his head. Total stopped barking, then shook his head in disgust and said, "Putz."

I blinked in surprise and opened my mouth - and then saw Gazzy loping up, hands in his pockets, whistling. I absolutely refused to give Gazzy the satisfaction of freaking out over his latest voice-throwing trick and didn't say a thing.

"Come on, guys," I said. "Let's go chow."

"Okay, let's see what we have here," I muttered. The six of us were in "my" room. Crater was here too but she was in a corner cradling her own papers. The notes we'd gotten from the Institute in New York were spread out on my bed. When we'd found the files in the computer and printed them out, some of the information had been readable. Now those pages were gone, leaving us with lines of numerical code. What had happened to the readable pages? Dunno. Was it another test?

So basically, we were looking at reams of numbers. Every once in a while a real word leaped out at us. Some of the real words were us, our names. Somewhere in these pages was info about our parents.

"How about we each take two pages and comb through them," I suggested. "Figure out what we can. See if anything about the numbers looks familiar or has a pattern."

"Sounds like a plan," said Iggy. "Except for me."

"I'll read you out some numbers," said Fang.

Iggy nodded, and I passed out the sheets. Fang started reading softly to Iggy, who concentrated hard, nodding every so often.

I took my two sheets and sat at the desk. For the next hour, we tried every basic code-breaking technique we knew. We looked for patterns, hexagons - and came up with nada, nothing.

Another hour later, I dropped my head into my hands. "This is impossible," I said, ready to scream in frustration. "This is probably a computerized code. If it is, we'll never break it."

"But isn't everything a test?" the Gasman asked, his small face tired. It was almost ten. I had to get these guys into bed. "Didn't Jeb tell you that everything is a test, back at the School, when we were rescuing Angel? So that would mean we're supposed to be able to break this somehow."

"I thought of that," I said. "That's what's so irritating. I've tried everything that would occur to me. So I guess I'm flunking this test."

A tap on my door interrupted us. The door opened a bit, and Anne poked her head around it.

"Hey, guys," she said with a smile. "Sleepy yet? Krystal? Want to get ready for bed?"

"Yep," said Nudge. "I'm beat."

Gazzy looked at me, and I nodded at him.

"Yeah," he told Anne. "We were just about to crash."

"Good," she said easily. "Anyone need anything? Before you crash?"

"No, we're fine," said Angel, following Anne out. They walked down the hall, and I heard Anne say, "Ariel, how about letting Total out one last time?"

"Okay," said Angel.

I stood in my room, feeling a little bad, feeling as if someone else was taking care of my flock.

Welcome to another day at Camp Agent!

To start, a hearty breakfast that Crater had made. That's because, on our first morning here, we had discovered that single-woman Anne Walker considered a protein bar and an orange-flavored sports drink to be an acceptable breakfast.

Which, if we were Dumpster diving or stealing from a 7-Eleven, would be great. But since we were in a seven-freaking-bedroom country chateau with a Sub-Zero fridge and Viking range at our disposal, it didn't cut it.

So it was massive infusions of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, etc., for everyone. And I will admit, not out loud, of a kid who has never cooked a single meal in her life according to Crater herself she is an amazing cook.

Next, quaint housekeeping issues. Anne made each of us responsible for keeping our bedchambers tidy and worthy of a photo shoot. And here's what really ticked me off: The flock actually did it. Except for our favorite dog-o Crater who refused to even sleep on the bed. When Anne asked why she responded with this. In Italian, the language she used as her cover up that she explained to us one night.

"Il giorno in cui dormo in quel letto è il giorno in cui ho tagliato tutti i miei capelli, vivo sul pane di un mese e l'acqua di palude, l'adolescente che non ha-cresciuto-che-non può cucinare per sé!" As in 'The day i sleep in that bed is the day i cut off all my hair, live on month old bread and swamp water, miss-i'm-a-grown-adult-who-can't-cook-for-herself!' And that makes Crater my favorite Eraser-birdkid. The big old cinnamon roll tomato loving Italian dog-o.

But what set me off is that I had asked them a thousand times before to keep their rooms straight at home, when we had a home. Had they done it? No. However, they were all over the bed-making and shoe-lining-up situation here, for a stranger. Little buggers.

Then, rousing exercise in the country-fresh air. Flying, sparring, playing, swimming, horseback riding. For Crater running extremely quickly and flying. We would literally watch her as she competed against Total and Anne sheepdog for a tennis ball.

Lunch. Anne got the fine art of making sandwiches down to a science. Thanks to you-know-who.

Post-lunch rest, play, etc. Anne occasionally took us aside one by one and interviewed us, had us show her what we could do. She loved to watch us fly - made us feel like marvels, swooping around in the sky.

She would watch us for hours, with binoculars, and the look of wonder and delight on her face could be seen from two thousand feet away.

Dinner. Anne really tried. But this was a woman whose main source of nutritional comfort came in single-serve microwavable packages. After the first day, she'd gone shopping and brought home fifteen bags of groceries and a cookbook. With mixed results.

But you know what? The food was hot and someone was fixing it for us, which made it fabulous in my book.

After that first day, I tried to start getting the flock ready for bed before Anne could do it. It bothered me, her doing it. Taking over my role. I was still the leader. Soon Anne and her comfy house would be just a memory. Just like Jeb. Just like Dr. Martinez and Ella. Just like everything in our temporary lives.

One night after we'd been there almost two weeks, I was lying in bed listening to my favorite, favorite singer, Liam Rooney. Liam, Liam, you are my inspiration. The younger kids were already asleep. There was an almost silent tap on my door.

"Yeah?"

Fang came in. Crater was outside, saying she needed air.

"What's up?"

"Look." He put some of the coded sheets from the Institute on my lap, then hauled a big spiral-bound book onto the bed. He opened it up across my knees.

"I was looking at this stuff, going nuts, you know? And suddenly it looked like map coordinates."

I drew in a breath. As soon as he said that, I could see the possibility.

"This is a book of detailed street maps of Washington DC," he said. "I got it out of Anne's car. Look - each page is numbered, each map is numbered, each grid of each map is numbered. And look at this clump of stuff here, by Gazzy's name. Twenty-seven, eight, G nine.

"So I go to page twenty-seven, and it's a section of town, see?"

"Yeah," I breathed.

"This section has twelve smaller maps. I go to map eight." He turned pages. "Which is a blowup of one section. Then I go to column G and trace it down to row nine." His finger slowly moved down the map. "And it's a pretty specific little chunk of streets."

I looked at him. "Oh, my God," I said. "Did you try

any others?" He nodded. "This one by Nudge's name. Same thing - I actually end up with a real place." "You are so brilliant," 1 said, and he shrugged, looking almost embarrassed, except that Fang never gets embarrassed. "But I thought Nudge was pretty sure she'd found her parents in Arizona," I added.

He shrugged again. "I don't know. The woman we saw was black, but it wasn't like Nudge was a photocopy of her. You think this is worth checking out?"

"Absolutely," I said, swinging my legs out of bed. "Everyone else asleep?"

"Yeah. Including the Annemeister." "Okay. Gimme a minute to get some jeans on."

(Crater)

I saw Max and Fang fly off somewhere. I didn't follow. I was busy. These past few days were confusing. If you're wondering what I give you three words.

Iggy. Freaking. Ride.

That boy has me going crazy. I can't put my damn finger on it.

Like yesterday we were swimming and I took a small break and he sat with me the whole time but after being in the water for so long getting out just made him shiver. Then what he did next drive me insane. He hugged me. Straight out! Didn't say anything but "I'm cold." And he left me in a blubbering blushing mess.

What the hell is up with that boy?! One second he's like what happened at the lake the next he's all like, 'oh that happened...sorry.' And just shrugs it off! Then when we were horseback riding he's all like. "Hey watch where you're going!" As a joke and used this skill he has to make me feel all weird. I hate it!

...ah who am I kidding I love it. It's just so weird. I'm like reading okay, as an example, and he suddenly walks over and asks me what I'm doing and I say reading. He says 'read out loud.' And I do! No hesitation what so ever! I just say sure and do whatever he says! Heck, this one time again while swimming most of us were already changed but Iggy just freaking ugh! He just took off his shirt casually right in front of me like it was no big deal. Like 'Oh heeeeeeey!' And whatever. Then he keeps hanging out with me. Like 24/7! I'm sitting alone, BAM! Right there. Eating, BAM! Joins in! He does literally everything I do with me. _Me_ of all people me!

I mean I love that he acknowledges me but still. He just UGH! I can't stop thinking about him! What is wrong with me?! Is this some skill I got?! I'm insane or something?! And another thing is whenever I look into those pale blue eyes of his. It's just sending me up to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. And when he smiles! Kill me damn it!

Whenever I'm around him all I can do is stare at his eyes. Talk to him. I want to be with him like all the time but at the same time I don't wanna freak him out. I'm already a mistake. Maybe I should talk to someone in the morning about this. I flew back inside.

(Max)

"Bombs away!" the Gasman yelled, right over my head.

I looked up, startled, and saw Gazzy flying low over the pond. He tucked his wings in, curled into a ball, and dropped, cackling maniacally. I winced as he crashed into the water, sending up a huge craterlike wave.

Soon his blond head surfaced, a smile splitting his face. "Did you see that?" he crowed. "That was so awesome! I'm going to do it again!"

"Okay," I said, grinning. "Don't hurt yourself."

"And don't hurt me!" Nudge yelled as Gazzy clambered out of the water. "Watch where you drop! You almost landed on me!"

"Sorry," Gazzy said.

I was glad that he and Nudge weren't letting their disappointment get to them too much. Fang and I had told them about our fruitless search for our parents in the city. It had been one more false lead.

I typed in another command and shielded the screen so I could read it. Yes, this was the ticket, going wi-fi out

by the private pond. I'd pulled over an Adirondack chair and borrowed Anne's laptop, and I had lemonade close at hand. It was a tough life, but someone had to live it.

The search results popped up on the screen. I scanned them and frowned.

Ten kids had gone missing in the DC area in the last four months. Had whitecoats taken them, as fodder for their experiments? I could only imagine what the families were going through. What had happened when we had gone missing? Our parents had cared, hadn't they? They'd missed us, right?

Hmm. That was a thought. I typed in a new Google search.

Angel's head popped out of the water. "Max!" She'd been under about ten minutes. Even though I knew about her ability to breathe underwater, it still took all my self-control not to leap in after her when I didn't see her come up for a while.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"What's the best way to catch a fish?"

I thought. "Well, I guess it depends on the kind of fish," I began.

"No, what's the best way to catch a fish?" Angel asked again.

Oh. "I don't know?" I said warily.

"Have someone throw it to you!" Angel laughed, I groaned, and, next to me, Total chuckled.

"Good one," he said, and I rolled my eyes, looking around for the voice-throwing Gasman.

Uh, but Gazzy was fifty feet in the air, dive-bombing the pond again.

Total trotted off, sniffing for rabbits, and I looked at Angel.

"Angel?"

"Yeah?" She looked up, all blue-eyed innocence.

I felt stupid, but... "Can Total, um, talk?"

"Uh-huh," Angel said casually, squeezing water out of her hair.

I stared at her. "He talks. Total talks, and you didn't tell me?"

"Well. . ." Angel looked for him, saw he was pretty far away, and lowered her voice. "Don't tell him I said this, but he's actually not that interesting."

I was nonplussed. My mouth was hanging open, and I shut it before I started catching flies. I turned to see the small dog trotting among the cattails and daylilies.

"Total?" I called. He looked up alertly, then ran over to me, small pink tongue hanging out.

"Total?" I said when he was close. "Can you talk?"

He flopped down on the grass, panting slightly. "Yeah. So?".

Jeezum. I mean, mutant weirdos are nothing new to me, you know? But a talking dog?

"Why didn't you mention this before?" I asked him.

"It's not like I lied about it," said Total, reaching up with a hind leg to scratch behind one ear. "Between you and me, I'm still trying to get used to the whole flying-kid thing. Besides, you guys are fine with Crater over there." He pointed to our cinnamon roll Italian who was pacing around and around while muttering to herself.

That night I was lying awake in "my" bed, watching the moonlight create shadows on "my" walls, so I heard the door open almost silently.

"Max?" Angel's whisper barely disturbed the air.

I sat up. "Yeah, sweetie?"

"I can't sleep. Can I go fly around?" she asked.

I glanced at the clock. Almost midnight. The house was quiet and still. Except for the soft footsteps padding down the hall.

The Gasman put his head around my door.

"Max? I can't sleep."

"Okay, put your clothes on. Let's go take advantage of the wide-open spaces." I heard a happy little whimper and we all looked over at Crater's corner. There stood a big fluffy dog. I turned to Angel. "You didn't happen to get another dog did you?" She shook her head.

The dog before us was dark brown with intelligent blue eyes, I just noticed the black band around its neck and the clothes that belong to the roll to the side. I approached it slowly. "Here uh, doggy." I made a whistling noise and it frowned.

Angel gasped and whispered in my ear. "Max...that's Crater." Iggy looked like he was dying of laughter. "T-that's Crater." He said between giggles. "Crater is a _dog_!" Angel hit his arm. Crater barked. Total translated. "Oh, she speaks Italian in dog too, she says 'Tu chiudi il tuo yap proprio ora, signore! Il suo non come ho scelto di improvvisamente e rudely svegliarsi così! Ora veniamo qui, in modo che ti possa strappare in piccoli pezzi, trasformare questi pezzi in cannoli e nutrirmi di quei cannoli a cui vado mai in Hunter!' or 'You close your yap right now, sir! It's not like I chose to suddenly and rudely wake up like this! Now come over here, so that I can tear you in small pieces, turn these pieces into cannoli and feed on those cannolis when I ever go to Hunter!'" we all just nodded and slowly Crater turned back and left to the bathroom to put her clothes back on.

In the end, we all went, including Total.

"I love flying!" he said, leaping into Iggy's arms. "Just don't drop me."

It was glorious. Out here in the country, there were few lights, no planes, and, so far, no Erasers.

The air was crisp and cool, near forty degrees, and felt like liquid oxygen in our lungs. I swooped in huge arcs, catching wind currents, coasting, feeling almost weightless. It was times like this that I felt the calmest, the most normal. As if I were just a normal part of the world and I actually fit into it.

 _You do fit into it, Max said the Voice. You're part of everything, and everything is part of you. Everything should flow together. The more you resist, the more pain you'll feel. The more you go with the flow, the more whole you'll be._

I frowned. Was that a bumper sticker?

 _Don't resist the flow, Max said the Voice. Become one with the flow_.

Well, since I didn't have a single freaking clue about what that meant, I decided to go with the airflow right now and enjoy myself.

"Look, bats!" said Nudge.

As soon as I looked, I saw them, hundreds, if not thousands, of fluttering bats. They swept jerkily among the trees, odd little black quotation marks against the deep purple night sky. We'd flown with hawks before, but not bats.

"Hey, they're mammals, like we are," I said. Were they more like us than birds? Well, not the whole eating-insects thing.

"My ears hurt," Total complained.

"It's their echolocation," I heard Iggy explain. "It's way cool. Now be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

Total huffed and settled down.

Nudge, Angel, and I swung into a circle, each keeping one wingtip touching the others', and flew around like feathered spokes on a wheel.

Then Gazzy came up and whapped Nudge on the back with one wing. "You're it!" he cried and darted away.

Fang was up high, doing steep circling moves, banking, practicing the techniques he'd learned from the hawks out west. It was hard to see him - except when he passed in front of the moon.

Then all at once, I felt the all-too-familiar rush of heat flooding me, washing my face with fire. I began breathing fast, the adrenaline jump-starting my heart. Quickly I put my hand up to my face, hoping I didn't look like an Eraser now, in front of the others.

The next thing I knew, I was streaking into the sky like a rocket, my hair streaming in back of me, wind stinging my eyes. I was going incredibly fast, and I could hardly feel my wings moving. Oh, my God, what is this? I thought, seeing the earth blur beneath me.

The flock and I could keep up a steady pace of eighty miles an hour with no effort and could sprint at a hundred and twenty. Dive-bombing, we'd hit speeds of a hundred and eighty.

I was going way faster than that now, straight out, by myself.

It so totally rocked.

A giddy joy rose up in me, but my laugh was snatched away, left far behind me as I shot into the night. Eventually, I came back to myself, felt myself slowing.

I wasn't even breathing hard. Laughing again, I turned and headed back toward Anne's house. I figured I'd gone about... thirty miles.

The flock was where I'd left them. I saw them long before they saw me.

I slowed and coasted up to them. Six faces turned toward me, looking stunned. Seven, if you count Total.

The Gasman was the first to speak. "You have warp drive," he said faintly.

"I want to ride with you," Total said, trying to escape Iggy's hold.

I laughed and held my arms out, and he leaped into them. In his excitement, he licked my neck, which I could have lived without, but whatever.

"What was that, Max?" Angel asked, wide-eyed.

"I think I just developed a new skill," I said, grinning big.

(Ari)

Take! _Crack_. That! _Crack_. Max! _Crack_.

So Max could fly at the speed of light, eh? Snarling, Ari leaped forward again, smashing the bo across his opponent's back. The heavy wooden stick, taller than he and as thick around as his wrist, made a dull, sickening thud.

The Eraser dropped to the mat and lay there, groaning thinly.

"Next! " Ari growled.

Another member of his team morphed and sprang into the circle with him, his own bo at the ready. Ari went into attack mode, the blows of the heavy staff sending shock waves up his arms.

He had clocked Max at more than two hundred miles an hour. He'd also seen the delight on her face, seen her hair whipping around her head like a halo.

Jeb just kept giving the flock more gifts. And what had he given Ari? Unnatural, painful, heavy wings. He'd thought he wanted to fly, to be more like the flock. But having wings grafted onto an Eraser's body wasn't even close to what the flock had. Gall rose in Ari's throat, burning him, and with a roar, he smashed his bo down on the other Eraser's head.

He would do that to Max, he thought. She was fourteen, and he was only seven, but he was three times as big as she was. He had huge muscles and a wolf's power - a wolf's nature too.

Jeb had said it was necessary. Jeb had said to trust him. And look where that had gotten him. He had huge painful wings. And Max was still laughing at him. Well, those days were over.

Soon he would be the golden boy, and Max would be a distant memory of an experiment gone bad.

It had been approved by the higher-ups.

It was a done deal.

"Next victim!"

(Max)

The first two addresses in Washington hadn't panned out, but Fang's map code was still the only thing we'd been able to come up with. And we had found that photo of the Gasman at the second address. At least, I was pretty sure it was Gazzy. So maybe it hadn't been a complete waste.

At any rate, we had two more addresses to check out. No information about me or my possible parents had turned up yet. I tried not to mind.

"Wait, Total!" I said as I pulled on my new jacket. It had big hidden slits for my wings, and I wondered where Anne had gotten it. Bird Kids "R" Us? Total kept trying to leap into my arms, determined not to be left behind.

"Total? Maybe it would be better if you stayed home," I said, zipping up. "You know, maybe guard the house or something."

Total stood still and looked at me. "That is so condescending," he said.

Angel went and put her arms around him. "She just meant because, you know, you're so fierce and stuff, and have great hearing and those big teeth," she said soothingly.

Inwardly I rolled my eyes. "Yeah - not just because you're a dog or anything." Crater hit me in the back of my head. Oh, right. What happened before we left.

Total sat down, looking just as stubborn as Gazzy did sometimes. "I want to go with."

Fang smirked at me over Total's head. I breathed out heavily.

"Fine," I said tightly, and Total leaped into my arms and licked my cheek. I was gonna have to talk to him about that.

Five minutes later we were airborne and headed to DC.

"So, Angel?" I said, looking over at her. She was gliding through the night sky, her eight-foot white wings looking like a dove's. "Have you picked up anything from Anne, about anything? Anything off?"

"Not really." Angel thought. "From what I can tell, she does work for the FBI. She does care about us and wants us to be happy. She thinks the boys are slobs."

"I'm blind," Iggy said irritably. "How am I supposed to make everything all tidy?"

"Yeah, because you're so handicapped," I said sarcastically. "Like - you can't build bombs or cook or win at Monopoly. You can't tell us all apart by the feel of our skin or feathers."

Gazzy giggled next to Iggy, and Iggy frowned. I turned back to Angel. "Anything else?"

"There is something she isn't telling us," Angel said slowly. "But I don't know what it is. It's not even clear in her mind. Just something that's going to happen."

All my senses went on alert. "Like what? Is she going to turn us over to the whitecoats?"

"I'm not sure she even knows what whitecoats are," said Angel. "I don't know that it's something bad. It could be, like - she's going to take us to the circus or something."

"Wouldn't that be redundant?" Fang muttered.

"Hmm. Well," I said. "I know how easy it's been to relax there, guys. But let's try to keep on guard, okay?"

"Okay," Angel said.

"I'm chilly," said Total.

My eyes narrowed.

Angel smiled at me.

"You're wearing a fur coat," I pointed out.

"It's chilly up here."

I gritted my teeth, I handed him to Crater. His eyes widened and then he looked totally relaxed. She stuffed him in her hoodie and his head stuck out from the neck.

"Much better," he said happily.

"Yo - first address is down there," said Fang, pointing. "Showtime."

"Maybe her dad was a barber?" Nudge said.

I looked over at Fang. This was the address that had been closest to his name, the address where his mom had supposedly lived. We thought she'd been a single mom, a teenager, and that she'd given Fang up for adoption. But like the first two addresses, this was a bust - a barbershop in the shadow of an office building-Fang shrugged, looking unconcerned. But I knew him, and the stiff set of his jaw.

I saw Crater stiffen, looking at the place like she's seen it before. She glanced over at Fang and tears welled in her eyes. She reached out for him but he had turned around and she let her arm go limp by her side.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. For just a moment, he met my gaze, and I saw his emotion. Then his eyes went flat again.

"No big. Didn't think it would add up to anything anyway," he said. "It's probably more wasting of our time, but should we check out this last one?"

"Yes," said Iggy. It was the address next to his name. "Okay, let's go," said Fang, and he took off, not turning to see if we were following.

"He's really upset," Angel whispered to me, as Nudge and Gazzy leaped into the air.

"I know, sweetie," I whispered back.

"I don't care where I came from," Angel said earnestly, looking into my eyes. "Wherever I came from, I don't want to go back. Not if you can't come too."

I kissed her forehead. "We'll deal with that if and when it happens," I said. "But right now, let's catch up to everyone else."

"Hang on," said Total, trotting over to a fire hydrant. "Potty break."

"Are there apartments on top of the stores?" Iggy asked, his feelings written all over his face.

"No." I heaved a sigh. Iggy's coded address had turned out to be an Asian food store in a little strip mall.

"What's across the street?" Iggy asked.

"A used-car lot," I said. "I'm sorry, Ig."

"It's my fault, guys," said Fang. "I thought I'd cracked the code, but obviously I was totally off my gourd."

"Well, if you were wrong," Nudge said, "then we don't have to be disappointed, right? It just means we still don't know."

"Yeah, that's right, Nudge," I said, thankful that she was taking it so well.

"This sucks!" Iggy shouted suddenly, his voice echoing off the glass storefronts. He punched a telephone pole in front of him, hitting it accurately. He winced, and I saw the scraped skin and bloody knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Ig -," I began.

"I don't care if you're sorry!" Iggy shouted at me. "Everyone's sorry! That doesn't matter! What matters is that we find where we belong!" He walked angrily away from us, his boots kicking up stones in the parking lot. "I mean, I just can't take this anymore!" he yelled, waving his arms and heading back to us. "I need some answers! We can't just keep on wandering from place to place, always on the run, always hunted..." His voice broke, and we all looked at him in shock. Iggy hardly ever cried.

I went over and tried to put my arms around him, but he pushed me away.

"We all want answers, Iggy," I said. "We all feel lost sometimes. It's just -we have to stick together. We won't stop looking for your parents, I swear."

"It's different for you," Iggy said, his voice quieter but bitter. "You don't know what it's like. Yeah, I make jokes, I'm the blind kid - but don't you see? Every time we move on, I'm lost all over again. You guys - it's so much easier for you. Even your lost isn't as bad as my lost, you know?"

I'd never heard Iggy admit to feeling scared or vulnerable.

"We're your eyes, Iggy," said the Gasman, sounding small and anxious. "You don't need to see when you've got us."

"Yeah, but I won't always have you!" Iggy said, his voice rising till he was shouting again. "What happens if you get killed? Of course I need to see, you idiot! I remember seeing! I know what it's like! I don't have it anymore, and I won't ever have it again. And someday I'm going to lose you, lose all of you - and when that happens, I'll lose ... myself."

His face was contorted with rage, and he swept one hand down and picked up a chunk of asphalt. Whirling, he threw it hard against a storefront, where it shattered a big plate-glass window. Immediately alarms went off. Crater stiffened. She whirled around to face Iggy.

"Dude what the hell?!" She cried out, her eyes darting back and forth in fear. "Uh-oh," Iggy muttered.

"Let's split," Fang said. Angel, the Gasman, and Nudge took off. Total jumped up into my arms, and I zipped him into my jacket.

"No," said Iggy, and I skidded to a halt.

"What? Come on, Iggy," I said. "The alarm's going off."

"I know. I'm not deaf too," Iggy said bitterly. "I don't care. Let them find me, take me now. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters."

And, to my horror, he sat down on the curb. I heard police car sirens wailing toward us. Crater froze. Horror was written all over her face.

"Iggy, let's go, get up," Fang said.

"Give me one good reason," Iggy said, dropping his head into his hands. Crater marched over before I could and grabbed his hands sinking down so she was at eye-level with him. She hugged him and spoke quietly and quickly.

"Ascoltami Iggy, lo so come sia. E mi dispiace che hai perso la vista. Se riuscissi a trovare i tuoi genitori o qualcosa che ti farà sorridere, lo farò se mi avrebbe ucciso. Mi dispiace che tu sia cacciato dal mio disgustoso genere, ma se ti fa sentire meglio ... tu non sei solo un cazzo cieco. Tu sei il mio mostro mutante mutante." Somehow we all understood her this time.

"Listen to me Iggy, I know what it's like. And I'm sorry you lost your sight. If I could find your parents or anything that would make you smile again I would do it if it killed me. I'm sorry your being hunted by my disgusting kind but if it makes you feel better...you're not just any blind bird-kid. You're my blind mutant freak."

And admittingly I did not see what would happen next. Because with Crater you just don't. She kissed him. Right on the lips. Like right there. This time we were all present. Nudge and Angel exchanged money, Fang looked surprised which surprised me even more. Gazzy just stood there.

She backed off first and butted her forehead against his. "Now get up before I have to fly your unconscious dead body back or worse! I'll make you into an ugly cannoli!" She threatened and Iggy got up still dazed. "W-Well when you put threats like that." He touched his lips and Crater grabbed his hand and together we all flew back to Anne's house.

Not a word was spoken between us.


	7. 7 I hate school

(Max)

"What is this?" I said without thinking. "I mean - looks good. Smells good." I sat down at the table and held my plate out. "Is that broccoli? Yum."

Anne put a big spoonful of some casseroley-type stuff on my plate. I could identify peas and a possible carrot and something brownish that was probably of the meat persuasion.

I picked up my fork and put a smile on my face. "Thanks for making dinner, Anne," I said, taking a bite.

"Uh-huh," she said, giving me a wry look. "At least I made a lot of it. I'm learning." She glanced over at Crater who was now and forever labeled as the cinnamon roll, tomato loving, Italian, dog-o. And let me tell you. She is a bottomless pit but leaves plenty of food left for the rest of us.

"It's fine," I said with my mouth full. I waved my fork in the air. "'S great."

Fang passed Iggy his plate and tapped the table with his fork. Unerringly Iggy picked up his fork and started eating. I'd kept my eye on him since last night, but he'd been pretty okay today. At least, he hadn't blown anything up or set anything on fire, so that was good.

None of us said anything about what happened with him and Crater. They seemed distant now, back before the kiss they did everything together. Now they just talk and goof around a bit but that's all.

All of us cleaned our plates. Twice. We'd gone hungry too many times to be picky eaters.

Then, to add to the American domesticity of the scene, Anne brought out an apple pie.

"I love apple pie!" Nudge said excitedly.

"Do you have two of them?" Gazzy looked anxious, already mentally dividing it.

Anne brought over another one. "I told you, I'm learning."

Gazzy punched the air. "Yes!"

"I'd like to talk to you guys," Anne said, dishing up the pie. "Sort of a family meeting."

I kept my face blank, wondering whose family she thought she was talking about.

"You've all done beautifully here," she said, sitting back in her chair. "You've adjusted better than I thought possible. And I find I'm enjoying it more than I ever imagined."

I started to get a really bad feeling. Please don't let her say something horrible like she wanted to adopt us or something. I had no idea what I would do if that happened.

"I think we're ready to take the next step," she went on, looking around the table at us.

Please no please no please no -

"So I've enrolled you in school."

Whaaat? Crater ran to the nearest window, opened it, and jumped out.

Fang burst out laughing. "Whoa, you had us going there for a minute," he said.

"I'm not kidding, Nick," Anne said quietly. ''There's an excellent school nearby. It would be perfectly safe. You could meet other people your age, interact with them. And - let's face it: Your education has been spotty at best."

Or nonexistent at worst, I thought.

"School?" Nudge asked. "You mean, like, at a school?"

There was that word again.

"Going to a real school, with other people?" Angel looked concerned.

"Holy frijoles," Total muttered from under the table.

"You'll start on Monday," Anne said briskly, starting to gather empty plates. "I'll pick up your uniforms tomorrow."

Uniforms?

Without a word, I shoved my chair away from the table and stomped over to the back door. I yanked it open and jumped down the steps. Time to spend some quality time with the CRTLID, (Crater).

From there I did a running takeoff, snapping out my wings, feeling them push against the air filling my feathers. A couple of hard strokes and I was airborne, rising above the apple orchards, above the barn.

Once I was up high, I let the full range of my anger bloom. Taking a deep breath, I tried to remember how to fly really fast - and then, almost immediately, I was doing it, my wings seeming to move by themselves.

Let's see just how fast I can get out of here, I thought grimly and poured on the speed. I saw Crater running perfectly in line with me.

 _Running away never helps said the Voice in my head._

"Yeah, well, flying helps - a lot!" Crater opened her wings and flew even faster then I did, wow. Something we have in common. We hate school.

Fang was waiting for me by an open window when I got back. He handed me a glass of water, and I sucked it down. Crater didn't go in. She hid behind a tree as Nudge, Angel, and Anne tried to get her to come in. She shook her head like a kid afraid of preschool on their first day.

"Gone a long time," he said. "How far did you get? Botswana?"

I grinned wryly. "Just for a minute, before I had to turn around. They say hi."

"How fast do you think you go?"

"Over two hundred," I said. "Two twenty? Two forty?"

He nodded.

"Everything cool here?" I headed down the hall to my room, kicking off my shoes. The house was dark and quiet. My clock said one-thirty.

"Yeah. Wrangled Gazzy into the bath. Total fell in. Angel made Nudge change her mind about what book to read, and I came down on her."

I looked at him. "Sounds like you've got everything under control."

"I managed."

I sat on my bed, not knowing what to say.

Fang sat down next to me. "Did you want to just keep going out there?" he asked. "Keep going and not come back?"

I drew a shaky breath. "Yes," I whispered.

"Anne's never gonna take your place, Max," Fang said, his dark eyes on me.

I shrugged, not looking at him.

"Anne's just a - depot," he said. He seemed to be getting more, well, comfortable with me lately. "We can rest up, eat, hang out, while we plan our next move. The kids know that. Yeah, they like not having to run or sleep in subway tunnels. They like having the same bed every night. So do I. So do you. Anne's been nice to them, to us, and they like it. We don't get a lot of down days, where we can just chill. They're enjoying the heck out of this, Max. And if they weren't, it would mean they were so messed up they couldn't be saved, ever."

"I know," I whispered.

"But they know who's saved their bacon too many times to count. Who's fed them and clothed them and chased away the nightmares? Jeb may have gotten us out of our cages, but you 're the one who's kept us out, Max."

You know how some kids get excited about the first day of school and have an outfit all picked out and a new lunchbox and stuff? Well, they're bleeping idiots.

"Can we play hooky?" Iggy muttered as he scrambled eggs.

"Somehow I suspect they're picky about that," I said, dropping more bread into the toaster. "I bet they'd call Anne."

"I look like prep school Barbie," Nudge complained, as she entered the kitchen. She caught sight of me in my uniform and looked mollified. "Actually, you look like prep school Barbie. I'm just Barbie's friend."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

Our wings were retractable and pulled in pretty tightly to our backs, but you might say that we still looked kind of like a family of Olympic swimmers.

Angel arrived, and she looked cute in her plaid skirt and white blouse because she looks cute in anything. She put some eggs and bacon on a plate, then ripped up a piece of toast and set it on the table.

Total hopped up onto a stool and dug in, seeming almost doglike. "Woof!" he said and chuckled to himself.

"Angel?" I said, bringing her a cup of coffee. I lowered my voice. "No funny business with the teachers, comprende?"

She glanced up innocently. "Gotcha," she said, taking a bite of bacon. I looked at her and waited. "I mean, unless I really have to," she added.

"Angel, please," I said, kneeling to her level. "Nothing that makes us stick out or look different, okay? Play by their rules." I stood up and addressed everyone. "That goes for all of us," I said quietly. "Try to blend, people. Don't give anyone ammo to use against us."

I got okays with various levels of enthusiasm.

"Goodness - you're all up," said Anne, coming into the kitchen.

She surveyed the production line of food, the flock packing it away. She smiled ruefully. "This beats frozen waffles. Thanks, Jeff. Oh, and Jeff - I meant to tell you. You and Nick will be in the same class. It'll help you get your bearings."

Iggy's face flushed.

"Can Total come?" Angel asked.

Anne came over and straightened Angel's collar. "Nope." She walked over to the cabinet and took down a mug.

"I'll be fine. Chase some ducks or something," Total whispered, and Angel patted his head. Then I realized. "Wait! Where's Crater!" I yelled and everyone began looking around for that stupid girl. It took us a whole hour just yesterday to get her back in the house after Anne mentioned school. Who knows how many days it'll take us to get her to even think about it.

Anne looked behind the couch and frowned. "Crater get out from there! You'll get your uniform dirty." We heard quiet mumbling and Anne shook her head. "You look fine Crater now get up." And there stood our stunning wolfy friend. Her thin body and frame worked well with the white shirt. It brought out her pale skin and the depths of her blue eyes. Her freckles more visible now. The plaid skirt and high knee socks and running shoes seemed to make her look even more normal. Like she fit in.

Her hair was now neatly combed so the shaved side didn't show off and her red hoodie stayed on her. Anne frowned. She reached up and fixed Crater's hair and she blushed. "Why do I have to go?" She complained no longer hiding behind her Italian cover. We all just gave her a dirty look. "Cause if we go down you're coming with." She shook her head, "I'm already educated! My mom and pop homeschooled me till me and my sister were at college level so can I just skip?" Anne shook her head. "You're going with."

Crate muttered some French curse words. "Fine, but the hoodie stays!"

"This uniform is so uncool," said Nudge. She glared at Crater. "What is your secret?!" She shrugged.

"I know. Fortunately, you'll be surrounded by a whole bunch of other uncool uniforms," Anne said. She frowned. "Ariel, are you drinking coffee?"

"Uh-huh," said Angel, taking a big sip. "Get jump-started for first grade."

I felt Total's black eyes boring holes in me. Sighing, I got down a bowl and fixed him some coffee with milk and two sugars. He lapped it up happily.

Anne looked as if she was having some "pick your battles" thoughts and in the end decided to let it go.

"Okay," she said, putting her mug in the sink. "I'll bring the car around front. Wear jackets - it's chilly this morning."

The ride to school was short and silent -4- much as I imagine riding in a hearse would be.

When we pulled up to the building, I realized we'd seen it from the air. It looked like a great big private house, made of cream-colored stone. Ivy grew up one wall, and they'd let an OCD gardener have his way with the grounds. Extremely tidy.

Anne pulled into the drop-off line.

"Okay, kids," she said. "They're expecting you. All the paperwork is done." She looked back at us, sitting tensely in the rear seats. My stomach hurt from nerves, and I was pulling my wings in so tight that they ached.

"I know it seems scary," she went on gently. "But it'll really be okay. Please just give it a chance. And I'll have a treat waiting for you at home this afternoon. We clear on how you'll get home?"

I nodded, feeling as tight as a coiled spring. How about by way of Bermuda?

"It's about a ten-minute walk," Anne confirmed. "And here we are." She pulled up to the curb, and we piled out of the car. I took a deep breath, looking at the poor lemmings filing in through the big double doors.

"Here we go," lemming Max muttered, then I took Nudge's and Angel's hands as we walked into the school. Cater jumped out before us and ran in the direction that we came from. "Fanculo! Fuck, cazzo, cazzo, cazzo! Non sto facendo questa merda!" {please excuse the cussing "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm not doing this shit!"} I growled at her, Fang grabbed her collar and she was stuck to going to school. Anne rolled her eyes and drove off. "Keep an eye on Crater guys!" She yelled back and Crater muttered more cuss words.

 **(Ari)**

"Okay, they're here," Ari said into the mike clipped onto his collar. He refocused his Zeiss binoculars, but the hated mutants were already out of sight, inside the building.

He'd have to switch to the thermal sensor, one of his favorite toys. He pulled the headpiece on and slid the lenses over his eyes. Inside the school was a wash of red: warm human bodies streaming through the halls.

"There," he breathed, as six orangey yellow images emerged from the red river. He grinned. The bird kids ran hotter than humans, hotter than Erasers. They were easy to pick out.

"Wanna see?" Ari pulled off the headpiece and handed it to the person sitting next to him. She put it on, smoothing her hair under its straps.

"Cool," she said. "Did you check out those goofy uniforms? Jeez. I'm not gonna have to wear one, am I?"

"Maybe. How do the freaks seem to you?" Ari asked her, as she continued to watch them.

The girl shrugged, her hair brushing her shoulders. 'They don't suspect a thing. Of course, this is just the beginning, really."

Ari grinned, revealing his canines. "The beginning of the end," he said, and she grinned back. They slapped high fives, the sound like a rifle shot in the quiet woods.

"Yep. It's gonna be great," said Max II, and she popped a piece of gum into her mouth. "Now everything gets doubly interesting."

 **(Max)**

The distinct lack of an antiseptic smell was slightly encouraging, I decided. And the interior of this school looked nothing like the School, our former prison.

"Zephyr, is it?" A tweedy, teachery woman smiled uncertainly at us. She said her name was Ms. Cvelbar.

"Yeah?" said Gazzy. 'That's me."

The teacher's smile grew. "Zephyr, you're with me," she said, holding out her hand. "Come along, dear."

I nodded briefly at Gazzy, and he went with the woman. He knew what to do: memorize escape routes, gauge how many people there were, how big they were, how well they'd be likely to fight. If he got the signal, he could burst through a window and be out of here in about four seconds flat.

"At least he's not Captain Terror anymore," I murmured to Fang.

"Yeah, Zephyr's a big improvement," Fang said.

"Nick? And Jeff? I'm Mrs. Cheatham. Welcome to our school. Come with me and I'll show you your classroom," another teacher chirped.

I tapped the back of Iggy's hand twice. Watching him and Fang go down the hall was really hard. Teachers came for Angel and Nudge, and then it was just me, fighting my overwhelming instinct to get out of there.

The teachers seemed okay. They hadn't really looked like possible Erasers - too old, not muscled enough. Erasers hardly ever made it past five, six years old, so when they weren't morphed, they looked like models in their early twenties.

"Max? Crater? I'm Ms. Segerdahl. You're in my class."

She looked fairly acceptable. Harmless? Whatever. Probably couldn't conceal many weapons under her skirt and sweater.

I managed a smile, and she smiled back. And our school day had begun. Crater twitched and looked horrified at the whole enchilada.

 **(Angel)**

"Now, does anyone remember this area's name?"

Angel raised her hand. She figured it was time to sound smart.

"Yes, Ariel?"

"It's the Yucatan. Part of Mexico."

"Very good. Do you know anything about the Yucatan?" Ms. Solowski asked.

"It has Cancun, a popular vacation spot," said Angel. "And Mayan ruins. And it's close to Belize. Its ports are some of the closest to America. So it's convenient for drug runners to siphon drugs up from South America, through the ports, and then on into Texas, Louisiana, and Florida."

Her teacher blinked. Her mouth opened and then closed again. "Ah, yes," she said faintly, stepping back to the world map hanging in front of the whiteboard. She cleared her throat. "Let's talk about the Mayan ruins."

 **(Nudge)**

"Tiffany."

"Tiffany?" The teacher looked confused. "I thought your name was Krystal."

"Uh-huh. Tiffany-Krystal" Nudge made a hyphen in the air with one finger.

"Okay, Tiffany-Krystal. In language arts, we've been working on some cross-media spelling words." The teacher pointed to a list written on the whiteboard at the front of the class. "Those were last weeks. This morning I'm going to give a pop quiz about this week's words, just to see where everyone is and where we need to focus."

"Well, all right," said Nudge agreeably. She waved a hand. "Bring it on. But just so you know, I can't spell worth crap."

 **(Fang)**

"Do you know where the dictionary is?"

Fang looked at the girl who had spoken. "What?" "Our reference materials are over here," the girl said, pointing. "When we have free study time, you can walk around and do homework. If you need to look up stuff, the computers and other references are over here." "Oh. Okay. Thanks."

"No problem." The girl swallowed and stepped closer-She was shorter than Max and had long, dark red hair. Her eyes were bright green, and her nose had freckles. "I'm Lissa," she said. "And you're Nick, right?" What did she want? He looked at her. "Uh-huh," he said warily.

"I'm glad you're in our class."

"What? Why?"

She stepped still closer, and he could smell the lavender scent of soap. Giving him a flirtatious smile, she said, "Why do you think?"

 **(Gazzy)**

"Watch this! I'm gonna fly!"

The Gasman looked up with interest. Some spud from his class was balanced precariously on the top of the metal jungle gym, holding out his arms like wings.

I hope he 'a lot more than arms, the Gasman thought. Well, maybe he did have wings. After all, maybe there were more kids like them out in the world. No way to tell. That was one of the mysteries to be solved.

"Yeah?" he said, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Let's see it."

The kid looked a bit taken aback, then set his jaw. He crouched down a bit and jumped off the top of the play structure.

He couldn't fly worth a nickel, hitting the ground almost instantly, landing in an awkward, crumpled heap. There was a stunned silence, and then he started wailing. "My arm!" he sobbed.

Immediately the playground supervisor hurried over, gathered up the kid, and rushed him toward the nurse's office. Gazzy went back to making a nice collection of hefty rocks. Weapons, if he needed them.

"What'd you do that for?" someone asked belligerently.

Gazzy looked up. "What?"

A larger kid was leaning over him angrily. "Listen, spaz, when some wingnut says he's gonna fly off of something, you tell 'im, 'Get the heck down from there!' You don't say, 'Let's see it!' What's the matter with you?"

The Gasman shrugged, but he was actually a little hurt inside. "I didn't know."

The kid stared at him. "What, you grow up under a rock?"

"No," said Gazzy, frowning. "I just didn't know."

The kid made a disgusted face and walked away. Gazzy heard him saying, "Yeah, he didn't know. 'Cause he's from the planet Dumbass."

Gazzy's eyes narrowed, and his hands formed into lethal little fists.

 **(Max)**

"Where did you get your hair done?" someone asked.

I turned to see a pale, skinny girl smiling at me. I pushed my lunch tray farther down the line. "Um, my bathroom?" Was she speaking in code? I had no clue what she meant. A recurring theme in my life.

She laughed and put a green apple on her tray. "No, I meant the blond streaks. They're awesome. Did you have it done in DC?"

Oh. My hair had blond streaks? Right. "I guess the sun did it," I said lamely.

"Lucky. Oh, look - banana pudding. I recommend it."

"Thanks." I took some, to be nice.

"My name's J.J.," she said, seeming completely comfortable with this social interaction. My palms were sweating. "It's short for Jennifer Joy. I mean, what were my parents thinking?" She looked over at Crater and smiled. "Who's this?"

I looked over at Crater who was twitchy every now and then. Crater flinched when she realized she was talking about her. "C-ciao, il cratere di mio nome." I understood her again. Either I was learning Italian or this is a skill she's got. "Hi, my name's Crater," I said translating for her. J.J awed. "You speak Italian!" She glushed. Crater was taken aback and nodded. She smiled afterwards of course.

J. J. turned back to me.

"Max is a cool name," J.J. said. "Sporty. Sophisticated."

"Yeah, that's me," I said, and she laughed some more, her eyes crinkling.

"Here's a couple spots," J.J. said, pointing to an empty lunch table. "Otherwise we'll have to sit next to Chari and her gang." She lowered her voice. "Don't mess with them." Crater crooked her head to the side but didn't say any word of protest.

I was halfway through lunch before I realized that J.J. and I had been talking for half an hour, and I apparently had not seemed so freakish that she'd run away screaming.

I had made a friend. My third one in fourteen years. I was on a roll. Crater seemed to have calmed down after having something to eat.

"Capital of Paraguay?" the teacher asked.

 _Asuncion. Inhabited principally by the Guarani. Explored by Europeans starting in 1518. Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America. Population, six million and change -_ I raised my hand. "Asuncion?"

"Yes, that's right. Very good. Tonight I want you all to read about Paraguay in chapter eight of your world studies textbook. And now let's take out our science workbooks."

Feeling like a busy little student bee, I took out my science workbook. What further surprises would the Voice have for me? So far, it had been up on any number of subjects taught in the ninth grade. How handy. For once.

As I flipped past the bone structure of frogs, someone knocked on the classroom door. The teacher went over and had a whispered conversation, then turned to me. What?

"Max? They need you in the office for a moment." She gave me an encouraging smile, which somehow I didn't find all that encouraging.

Slowly I stood up and walked to the door. Was this it? Was it starting now? Was this person about to turn into an Eraser? My breath started to come faster, and my hands coiled at my sides.

Maybe not. Maybe there was something wrong with our paperwork. Something normal.

"In here." The assistant opened a door that led to a small anteroom. On two chairs in the little room were Iggy and the Gasman. Gazzy looked up at me and smiled nervously.

Oh, no. "Already?" I whispered to him, and he shrugged, wide-eyed.

"The headmaster will see you now," said the assistant, opening another door. "That's right now."

The headmaster, William Pruitt, according to a gold plaque on his desk, did not look happy to see us. In fact, he looked like he was about to blow his top. The second I clapped eyes on him, I couldn't help it: I hated his guts. His face was red and flushed with anger. His lips were full and wet- looking, a gross dark pink. Sparse tufts of hair ringed his shiny bald head.

I had the sinking feeling that this schmuck's inside was going to match his heinous outside, and I went on full alert.

"You are Maxine Ride?" he said with a sneering British accent that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

"Just Max," I said, resisting the urge to cross my arms over my chest and scowl at him.

"These are your brothers Jeff and ..." He consulted his notes. "Zephyr?"

"Yes."

"Your brothers have set off a stink bomb in the second-floor boys' lavatory," said the headmaster. He sat back in his chair, lacing his beefy red fingers, and stared at me with cold, piggy black eyes.

I blinked, careful not to look at Iggy and Gazzy. "That's impossible," I said calmly. For one thing, they hadn't had enough time to acquire the materials to make one...

"Oh, is it?" Pruitt asked unpleasantly. "Why is that?"

"They're not troublemakers," I replied, injecting an earnest note into my voice. "They wouldn't do anything like that."

''They say they didn't do it. They're lying," he said flatly. His bushy eyebrows needed trimming. And the nose hair - yuck!

I looked indignant. "My brothers don't lie!" Of course, we all lie like rugs when we have to, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"All children lie." Mr. Pruitt sneered. "Children are born knowing how to lie. They're dishonest, disrespectful, unhousebroken animals. Until we get to them." Then suddenly Crater materialized from out of nowhere. "Then that includes you too Mister Pruitt." She said in a harsh tone in Italian. Gazzy and Iggy shared a confused looked as to why they probably understood her too.

He frowned at her. "Ah yes, Miss Beattie how... _lovely_ for you to have joined us. I'm positive Max here would _love_ to hear why you are within my presence when a short moment ago you were supposed to be in class."

Crater frowned. She stayed quiet and he smiled this disgusting grin. Which made me question his career choice. Nice school you picked out, Anne. Sheesh.

I raised my chin. "Not my brothers. Our parents are missionaries, doing the Lord's work. We would never lie."

This seemed to give Mr. Pruitt pause, and again I congratulated Crater on the brilliant backstory she gave us. "Did anyone see them set off a stink bomb?"

"What is a stink bomb, anyway?" Gazzy asked all blue eyes and innocence.

"There, you see?" I said. "They don't even know what one is."

Pruitt's small eyes narrowed even more. "You're not fooling me," he said with clear venom. "I know your brothers are guilty. I know you're protecting them. And I know something else: This is the last time you'll get away with anything at this school. Do I make myself clear?"

Actually, not really, but I was going to let it slide.

"Yes," I said crisply and motioned to Gazzy to get up. When Iggy heard him, he rose also. I moved purposefully toward the door. "Thank you," I said, right before we slipped out.

We slunk out into the hall, and I started marching them to their classrooms.

"We're going to talk about this later, guys," I said under my breath.

After I dropped off Iggy, I realized I had a throbbing headache. One that seemed to have been caused by regular garden-variety tension, rather than by, say, a chip, or a Voice, or some wack-job whitecoat torturing me. What a nice change.

I looked over at Crater and raised a brow. "And what did you do miss-little-ray-of-sunshine?" She gave me a book that she held in her hand. "Library lost track of time. Was going to the bathroom." It was a bible. Oh...I looked up at her and she shrugged. "I wanted to know who God was. It's not like I'm religious or anything. Also, it would give me cover and prove the missionary story." I nodded and smiled. That's my girl.

"You ignorant little savages," Gazzy said, puffing and screwing up his face. As usual, his imitation was uncanny. I almost wanted to turn around to make sure the headmaster hadn't snuck up behind us.

Angel and Nudge were cracking up at Gazzy's recounting of the tale.

"You malignant little fiends," he added, and I couldn't help laughing.

"But sir," Gazzy went on in my voice, "our parents are missionaries. Lying is the Tenth Commandment. They're innocent of all wrongdoing. What's a stink bomb?"

Now even Fang was laughing, his shoulders shaking. In his white dress shirt he hardly even looked like himself. Crater had already burst out laughing and her face was red. We had to stop since she couldn't get back up due to all the laughing she was doing.

"Is lying really the Tenth Commandment?" Iggy asked.

"No idea," I said. "Let's cut into the woods. This road's making me nervous." Then Gazzy added in Crater's Italian voice. "Fight me you pigheaded mortal!" And did this cackling laughter. Crater rolled her eyes. "I didn't say that...although that would have been fun to."

We'd walked along the main road until we were out of sight of the school. Now we headed into the woods at an angle, knowing we would meet up with one of Anne's orchards soon.

"So who really did set off the stink bomb?" Nudge asked.

I rolled my eyes. "They did, of course." I glared at Gazzy, frustrated that my look was lost on Iggy. "I don't know how I don't know why. I just know they did."

"Well, yes," Gazzy admitted, looking a tiny bit embarrassed. "This kid was a total jerk to me on the playground, and someone stuck a Kick Me sign on the back of Iggy's shirt."

"I told you I'd take care of that," Fang and Crater said to Iggy. They shared a surprised look, well, just Crater but still. That was creepy.

I sighed. "Guys, you're going to meet jerks in every situation. For the rest of your lives." However long that would be. "But you can't be doing stuff like stink bombs - not right now. We're trying to blend, remember? We're trying to not make waves, to not stick out. So making a stink bomb, setting it off, and getting caught was not the right way to go."

"Sorry, Max," said Gazzy, sounding almost sincere.

Inside, I understood why they'd done it. I even wished I'd been able to see the headhunter's face when he'd found out about it. But this stunt had been totally uncool. And dangerous.

"Listen, you two," I said sternly, as we crested a ridge and found ourselves at the edge of Anne's property. "You put us all at risk. From now on you're going to toe the line at that stupid school or you're going to answer to me. Got it?"

"Got it," Gazzy mumbled.

"Yeah, got it," Iggy said reluctantly. "We'll be more stupid and idiotic in the future. We'll blend."

"Good."

Crater hugged them both. Then whispered loudly so we could all hear. "Yeah guys, besides, why didn't you bring them to me? We could have totally pulled it off with no busting." The three of them shared a high five and I frowned.

Anne was not thrilled with us when we got home.

"I got a phone call" were her first words as we hung our jackets up neatly in the hall. "I guess you're all adjusting. Well, anyway. Come on into the kitchen. There's hot chocolate and cookies." Anne gave a confused look at Crater. "And one about you too. Something about a bible?" Crater held up the book. "Borrowed, not stolen. It's actually kinda cool. Like a fiction book that everyone thinks is real." Anne just shrugged.

Way to reward the buggers, Anne. Great mothering. I took the opportunity to give Gazzy another glare, and his small shoulders hunched.

"Let me just say that I'm very disappointed in your behavior," Anne said, as she started pouring mugs of hot chocolate. She plopped two marshmallows in mine, and I tried not to think about the time Jeb had done the same thing for me, not too long ago.

She opened a package of chocolate-chip cookies and put them on a plate on the table. We all dug in - lunch had been hours before, and we'd had only normal-sized meals. Crater ate and read. Before Anne could scold her about it I did. "Crater, book, table, no." She looked up and nodded. Laying the book down without resistance, unlike the bed issue we still haven't fixed.

"I could show you how to make cookies from scratch," I said, then blinked in surprise. Had those words really left my mouth? Everyone else looked surprised too, and I felt defensive. So, what, I was never nice to Anne? "There's a recipe on the back of the chip package," I mumbled, taking another cookie. "I'd like that, Max. Thanks," said Anne, her voice softer. She gave me a pleasant smile, then went to the sink.

"Stinkbomb," Total chortled, in between bites of cookie. "That must've been great."

 **(Angel)**

No. The bigger playground. Angel looked into her teacher's eyes and pushed the thought to her gently. They were supposed to go to the younger kids' playground at recess, but Angel wanted more room. There was no reason they shouldn't play on the big field.

"I guess there's no reason you can't play on the big field," Angel's teacher said slowly.

"Yes!" said one of Angel's classmates, and they turned and ran through the gates and onto the big playground.

"Ariel! Come play with us!"

Angel ran over and joined Meredith, Kayla, and Courtney.

"Can we play Swan Lake?" Angel asked. Their teacher had just read them that story, and Angel had loved it. Her whole life was like Swan Lake. She was a swan. Fang and Max were hawks, kind of big and fierce. Iggy was a big white seabird, like an albatross or something. Nudge was a little pheasant, smooth and brown and beautiful. Gazzy was something sturdy - an owl? Crater could be something kind and gentle but strong. A mom?

And she was a swan. At least for today.

"Yeah! Let's play Swan Lake!"

"I'm Odette," Angel called, holding up her hand.

"I'm the second swan," said Kayla.

"I'm the littlest swan," said Meredith, holding out her uniform skirt to make it more tutu-like.

Angel closed her eyes and tried to feel like a swan. When she opened them, the whole world was her stage, and she was the most beautiful ballerina-swan ever. Gently she ran in graceful circles around the other kids. She took big, soft running leaps, staying in the air as long as she could. Then she landed, raised her arms over her head, and twirled in little circles.

The other girls were dancing too, tiptoeing across the browning lawn, swishing their arms in slow movements to look like wings. Again Angel tripped lightly over the grass, spinning and jumping and feeling just like Odette, cursed to live as a swan because of Rothbart's spell.

Another spin, another arabesque, another long leap where Angel seemed to hang in the air for minutes. She wished so much that she could take out her wings and really do Swan Lake the way it should have been done, but she knew she couldn't. Not now, anyway. Not here. Maybe after Max saved the world. After Max saved the world, most of the regular people would be gone. Jeb had told Angel so when she'd been at the School again, last month. Mutants like them had a greater chance of surviving. They'd been designed to survive. So maybe when most of the regular people were gone, Angel wouldn't have to hide her wings anymore, and she could just fly around and be Odette anytime she wanted to.

She could hardly wait.


	8. 8 Trouble?

(Max)

Study Hall was my favorite class. The school had a great library, with seemingly endless books and six computers for kid's to do research on.

The school librarian was this nice, smart guy named Michael Lazzara. Everybody seemed to like Mr. Lazzara a lot, even me. So far, anyway.

Today 1 was in research mode. Maybe if I hit some code-breaking sites I could figure out a different approach for how to find our parents.

All six computers had kids sitting at them. I stood there a moment, wishing I could just tip a kid out of a chair.

"Here, I can get off."

I looked over at the guy who'd spoken. "What?"

The guy got up and gathered his books. "I don't need the computer. You can have it."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

"You're new," the guy said. "You're in my Language Arts class."

"Yeah," I said. I'd recognized him - years of paranoia had honed my ability to remember faces. "I'm Max."

"I know. I'm Sam." He gave me a warm smile, and I blinked, realizing he was cute. I'd never really had the luxury of noticing cuteness or lack thereof in guys. Mostly it was the lethal/nonlethal distinction that I went with. "Where did you move from?"

"Uh ... Missouri."

"Wow. Midwest. This must be pretty different for you."

"Yep."

"So, are you doing schoolwork or more of a personal project?" He nodded at the computer. I started to say, What's with the questions? but then I thought, Maybe he's not interrogating me. Maybe this is how people interact, get to know each other. They exchange information.

"Um, more of a personal project," I said.

He smiled again. "Me too. I was checking out this kayak I want to buy. I'm hoping my Christmas money will give me enough."

I smiled, trying to act as if I knew what Christmas money was. Voice? A little help here? The Voice was silent. After mentally reviewing possible responses, I went with: "Cool."

"Well, I'll let you get to it, then," he said, looking like he wanted to say something else. I waited, but he didn't-just picked up his stuff and split. I felt like a Vulcan, studying these odd, quaint humans.

Sighing, I sat down at the computer. I would never fit in. Never. Not anywhere. Well except one of us. I looked over at the cinnamon roll and saw her on her back on the floor reading the Bible with a smile on her face. Even though it was all about some guy she didn't believe in she said that she like thinking of it as a story book. Then I realized the cover wasn't the same as the Bible.

It was multiple colors with scratchy lettering, it was also thin and had pictures. TopoTip? She smiled as she read, whispering the words to herself. I heard some kids whisper about it behind me.

"What the hell is she doing?"

"What an idiot!"

"Have you heard the way she speaks English?" They laughed and I made a fist. I looked over at Crater and knew she had heard. Wait are those? "Is she crying?" One asked and laughed. Sure enough tears flowed slowly down her cheek as her eyes scanned the page. Some kids got word of this and began to spread the word and laugh. Crater quickly got up and ran out. I was about to chase her but saw movement outside the window and turned my attention to it.

What the? I saw Angel practically floating across the main playing field. She and a bunch of other girls were twirling around like ballerinas, but Angel was the only one who could leap eight feet in the air and hang there as if suspended by wires.

I gritted my teeth, watching them. What part of "blend in" did these kids not understand? For crying out loud.

A list of results popped up on my computer screen. How weird. Apparently ter Borcht wasn't gibberish. I clicked on the first result.

Ter Borcht, Roland. Geneticist. Medical license revoked, 2001. Imprisoned for unauthorized criminal genetic experiments on humans, 2002. A controversial figure in the field of genetic research, ter Borcht was for many years considered a genius, and the leading researcher in human genetics. However, in 2002, after being found guilty of criminal human experiments, ter Borcht was declared insane. He is currently incarcerated in the "Dangerous-Incurable" wing of a rehabilitation facility in the Netherlands.

Well, holy moly. Food for thought. I tried to remember what other words had shown up in the coded pages.

"Sit up!" a voice snapped, and I turned to see the head-hunter, Mr. Pruitt, leaning over some terrified kid at a study table. The kid quickly sat up straight. In the background, Mr. Lazzara was rolling his eyes. Even he didn't seem to like Pruitt. Mr. Pruitt banged his walking stick against the table leg, making everyone jump. ''This isn't your bedroom," he said snidely. "You may not lounge about like the do-nothing slug you no doubt are at home. In this school, you will sit up straight, as if you actually had a spine."

He was going on and on, but I very quietly picked up my books, slithered out of my chair, and slunk out the library's side door.

I could do without a dose of hateful today, thanks.

I walked down the hall as quickly as I could without making any noise.

Ter Borcht; evil genetic scientist. Gee, one of the family. Had I ever heard that name before? Clearly he must have been involved with Jeb, the School, the whitecoats, at some point. I mean, how many independent evil genetic researchers could there be? Surely they all kept in touch, exchanged notes, built mutants together...

This was a huge breakthrough - or another horribly disappointing dead end. Whichever it was, I couldn't wait to talk to the flock about it. Just as I hurried past an empty classroom, I caught sight of Fang. Excellent - I had five minutes till my next class. I started to head in, then realized he wasn't alone. A girl was with him, talking to him, looking earnest. Fang was standing there impassively as she went on, brushing her long dark red hair over her shoulder.

I grinned. Poor Fang. Was she selling something? Asking him to join the Chess Club?

In the next moment, the girl had put both her hands on Fang's chest and pushed him against the wall. I strode forward, reaching out to yank open the door. Even if she was an Eraser, Fang and I could make mincemeat out of her.

Then I froze. It wasn't an attack. The girl had pressed herself against Fang like static cling, and she went on her tiptoes and kissed him, right on the mouth.

Fang stood there for a moment, then his hands came up, holding her around the waist. I waited for him to push her away, hoping he would be sensitive about it, not hurt her feelings.

But I watched, dumbfounded, as Fang's hands slid slowly up her back, holding the girl closer. He angled his head so they could kiss better.

I stepped back, not breathing, feeling like I was going to hurl.

Oh, God.

Spinning on my heel, I raced down the hall and into the girls' bathroom.

I locked myself in a stall and sat down on the closed seat. Cold sweat was beading on my forehead, and I felt shaky and chilled, as if I'd just fought for my life. The image of Fang holding that girl closer, tilting his head, popped up in my brain. Closing my eyes did nothing to stop it.

Okay. Get a grip. God. What are you doing?

My breaths were shallow and fast, and I felt rage roiling in my stomach like acid.

No, calm down, calm down.

I forced myself to take several deep breaths, in and out. in and out. I heard crying in the stall next door. Who was here? I saw feet and the ever so famous black converse of my dear Italian. How did I know it was her and not someone else. Simple. Normal kid's shoes don't have bite marks the size of magic markers and the words Crater Beattie on them that's why.

(Crater)

I heard someone come in and I covered my mouth but a sob fell through. That book, the one in the library. Its the one mamma showed me. Memories although I wished not flooded my mind.

 _I smiled and sat in my momma' s lap as she read a child's book to me. It was a nice book but what I really like was that momma was relaxed, she was happy. Not running, not scared. She was happy and relaxed. I smiled up at her as we finished the book. She smiled back and ruffled my hair popping my ears out._

 _I wagged my tail. I loved my life, I wish for it to never end._

I took a steady breath. I ran out of the stall and splashed my face with water and fled. Good, no one saw.

(Max)

Once Crater left I was back to my little freak out. Okay. Just calm down. So he kissed someone. Big deal. Why should I even care anyway? Why should I even care if he kissed every girl in this whole school? He was like my - brother. I mean, he wasn't my brother, not really. But he was like a brother. Yes. That was it. I'd been surprised, but now I was over it. I was fine.

Standing up, I left the stall and splashed cold water on my face. I was fine. I mean, why would I even care?

 _Maybe you have feelings for him,_ said my Voice. Nooo, the Voice couldn't ever respond when I really needed it to. But give me a sensitive situation where I'd really rather just deal with it alone? It was all over me.

Maybe not, I thought snidely.

 _You can't stay children forever, said the Voice, gently mocking. People grow up, have kids of their own. Think about it._

I suppressed a shriek of frustration, gripping the edge of the sink hard so I wouldn't ram my head into the wall. Like I was going to think about anything else, now.

(Ari)

"There they are."

Ari focused the binoculars on the small group on the road, maybe a quarter mile away. Walking to their perfect home from their perfect school. Wasn't that special. He looked into the back of the van. Six Erasers, already morphed and eager for action, sat waiting for him to give the word. The new Max was sitting in the back with them, wearing headphones.

"She's up on her soapbox again," the new Max said.

Ari snorted. Max - the original Max - was so full of herself, so tougher-than-thou. She ran those kids around like they were her slaves.

Slaves. There was a fun idea. Picturing the mutant bird freaks as his personal slaves cheered Ari up. He would make them do everything - take care of everything. They would bring him food and remind him to take his pills, and Max would rub his shoulders where his wings hurt. That would be so great. A tiny buzzer went off - his watch timer. Ari popped a handful of pills and reset the timer.

Unfortunately he wasn't going to get to make them his slaves. Fortunately he still got to kill them.

"I swear, that girl wouldn't be happy anywhere," the new Max said, sounding disgusted.

"Let's give her something to be unhappy about," Ari said, and hit the gas pedal. His heart started pumping with anticipation. He hated Max, but he loved fighting her. No one else was as exciting, as much of a challenge - not even Fang. And every time they fought, he learned more about how to defeat her. Someday he would have the last punch, see the surprise on her face. . . .

In seconds the van had caught up to the group, and they wheeled around at the sound of the tires.

"Want a ride, kids'?" asked the Eraser in the passenger seat, who hadn't morphed yet.

"What, no candy?" the original Max practically snarled. Then her eyes fell on Ari.

A laugh rose from his chest as he slammed on the brakes. He loved it! Seeing the flare of hatred and fear in her eyes when she looked at him. "Showtime, folks!" he shouted. "Max is mine!"

Erasers poured out of the back of the van before it had even stopped.

Time to play.

(Max)

So, again, Ari was alive? Ari was back? I needed to think about that later.

"Happy now?" Fang muttered at me, and I took a second to scowl at him before launching myself at the closest wolf boy.

The sad thing was, I was happier. Well, not happy, exactly-just more on solid ground. A boy from class talking to me? Complete washout. Kicking Eraser butt, especially pathetic, off-balance Erasers with too-big wings? It was just more me, somehow.

Within moments I had cracked one's kneecap with a hard side kick, and he crumpled to the ground. Very cheering. _Watch it!_ said the Voice, just before another one clipped my jaw, swiveling my head. _Go with the flow._ Okay. I went with the momentum, completed the turn, and came out swinging with a hard right that smashed his jaw. Howling with pain, he fell to his knees, holding his face. Seconds later he bounced up, his eyes red with fury, in time to have Gazzy smack both hands over his ears, blowing his eardrums. Screaming, he went down again.

Fang had taken one out and was working on Ari. A quick glance showed me that Angel was dealing with a female Eraser - using her mind control to make the Eraser run headfirst into a tree, hard. Yowch. Then Angel flashed me an angelic smile, and I remembered again that we had to have a clear-the-air ethics talk sometime soon.

 _Max -focus!_ A huge thud against my back knocked the wind out of me. Wheezing for air, I whirled to see Ari, grinning, swinging hard at my head. I ducked, whirled, and put all my weight into a roundhouse kick that spun him sideways and almost knocked him off his feet. The other Erasers were mostly down for the count: It was me against him. Slowly we circled each other. Ari grinned, and fury washed over me, coloring everything red. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang herd the younger kids into the woods and then up into the air.

"Cute uniform." Ari sneered, showing his sharp canines. "It's a good look for you."

"Where'd you get those wings?" I countered. "Wal-Mart?" I kept my weight centered as we circled each other like tigers.

The other Erasers were staggering back to the van, piling into it like circus clowns. Ari saw them.

"Guess it won't be today, guys," Ari called to his team. "Next time I'll let you eat the little one. I hear they taste like chicken."

Angel.

Growling, I lunged for Ari. He stepped aside and swung at me. I easily ducked. Rage fueled my fight, and I did a quick running start, then hit him with a flying side kick, both feet ramming hard against his ribs. He fell over heavily, banging his head on the road. Suddenly the van they were all in flipped over. I saw my favorite Itialian looking pissed off and waved a dirty book in Ari's face. She kicked him in the ribs sending him about an inch in the air before brutally smashing him back down. "This! Was! Borrowed!"

At least she has respect for other people's property. She put a foot on his neck. "Run." Was all she said and did and up and away. She joined me in the sky and the Erasers ripped their van back over and drove off. I saw a blonde streak of hair. What the?

"What happened to you?" Anne cried.

We trailed into the house and automatically hung up our jackets, most of which were blood-spattered. Total trotted around our feet, sniffing and growling. Angel reached down and hugged him, talking gently, and I just barely heard Total say, "Those wankers."

"Erasers," said the Gasman. "I'm hungry. Is there a snack?"

"What are Erasers?" Anne asked, sounding genuinely confused. "Hunters." Very specific Crater.

Could she possibly not know? Or maybe she just didn't know the hip insider's slang for them. "We're human-avian hybrids," I said, walking down the hall to the kitchen. I could smell popcorn. "Erasers are human-lupine hybrids."

"Rabbits?" Anne asked, still sounding confused. She followed me.

I giggled. "That's lapin. Or, more correctly, leporid. Not lupine."

"Oh. Wolves," Anne said, getting it.

"Give the lady a prize," I said, entering the kitchen.

"Popcorn! And hot apple cider!" Gazzy said happily.

"Wash your hands," Anne said, then took a good look at him. Gazzy had a couple bruises but looked okay. Angel and Nudge were fine. Iggy had a split lip. Fang's nose was bleeding. I had a sudden flash of him kissing that girl and shut it down hard. Crater limped around but walked it off.

"Get cleaned up," Anne said. "I'll get some bandages. Is anyone hurt seriously?"

"No," said Nudge, digging into the popcorn. "But an Eraser tore my sweater. Jerk." Crater shrugged. "I flipped a van over, my wrist hurts, a bit. Does that count Max?" She said turning to me and not the fussing Anne. It made me feel like I was still a leader in someone's eyes. I nodded. Crater smiled.

"There's milk too," said Anne, taking a glass bottle out of the fridge. She put it on the table and went to get the first-aid kit.

I helped Angel pour herself a glass of milk, and then I noticed: This was a different brand of milk than before. The other had been in cartons. Cartons with missing-kid pictures on them. This bottle had a smiling cow but no missing kids. Hmm.

Later I sat at the table doing my homework, which is just another term for "grown-up-imposed yet self-inflicted torture," IMHO. Anne sat down next to me.

"So Erasers are human-wolf hybrids," she said. "And they attacked you? Have they ever attacked you before? Where did they come from? How did they know where you were?"

I looked at her. "Isn't all this in your reports?" I asked. "Your files? Yeah, of course the Erasers attacked us. They always do. They're everywhere. They were created to be ... weapons, kind of. Back at the School, they were the guards, the security. The punishers. Since we escaped, Erasers have been tracking us. I was wondering when they'd show up. This is the longest we've gone without them finding us."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Anne asked, concern on her face. Crater flinched next to her. That's right, Anne didn't know.

I shook my head. "I really thought you knew. You knew a bunch of other stuff about us. I mean, I wasn't keeping Erasers a secret or anything."

Anne let out a heavy breath. "We'd heard only vague rumors. They seemed so far-fetched that we didn't believe them. You say these Erasers track you? How?" Crater looked down and had that sad doggy face, if she had ears they would be droopy.

Probably my chip. The one somebody put in my arm.

I shrugged and looked back at my world studies textbook.

At least, I feared it was my chip. I wasn't positive, but it made the most sense. This was my chance to tell Anne about my chip. Maybe with her FBI resources, she could find a way to take it out. But something held me back. I just couldn't bring myself to trust her. Maybe in about five years, if we were still here. God, what a depressing thought.

Also, these days, I was wondering if it might not be my chip, might be something else. Like, if Total was chipped. Or even one of the flock. Angel? We just didn't know.

Anne stood up. "Well, I'm going to make some phone calls," she said firmly. "Those were the last Erasers you'll see."

I almost chuckled at her naivete. Crater rolled her eyes.

"Night, Tiffany-Krystal," I said, grinning, and Nudge grinned back. We stacked our fists on top of each other and tapped the backs with our other hands.

"Night," said Nudge, lying back on her comfy pillows. "Max? We are going to stay for a while, aren't we? We're not leaving, like, tomorrow, right?"

"No," I said quietly. "Not tomorrow. Just - be on your toes, and try to blend, okay?"

"Okay. I do blend pretty good, I think," Nudge said. "I have three friends I sit with at lunch. My teacher seems to like me."

"Of course she likes you. How could she not?" I kissed Nudge's forehead and left, heading down the hall to tuck in Angel.

Pushing open her door, I saw that Anne was already there, pulling the covers up to Angel's chin.

"You had a long day, sweetie," said Anne, stroking Angel's hair off her face. "Get some good sleep now."

"Okay," said Angel.

"And Ariel? Don't let Total up on the bed," Anne said. "He has his own bed."

"Uh-huh," said Angel agreeably. I rolled my eyes. Total would be on the bed before Anne was five steps down the hall.

"Good night, sleep tight," Anne said, standing up.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite," Angel answered cheerfully.

Anne smiled at us and went out.

Total hopped up on the bed. Angel held up the covers for him and he wriggled underneath them, resting his head on a corner of Angel's pillow. I tucked them both in.

"Would it kill her to turn up the heat?" Total grumbled sleepily. 'This place is an icebox. You could practically hang meat in here."

Angel and I grinned at each other.

"You all right?" I asked.

She nodded. "I hated seeing the Erasers today."

"You and me both. Ari really creeps me out. Do you pick up anything from him?"

Angel thought. "Dark. Red. Angry. Torn. Confused. He hates us."

I frowned at this grim picture of what was happening inside Ari's head.

"And he loves you," Angel added. "He loves you a lot."

I backed out of Angel's room, trying not to look shocked. Jeez. Ari loved me? Like a little kid? Like a big Eraser? Was that why he kept trying to kill me? He needed to read an article about how to send clearer signals.

A sound behind me made me turn around fast, to see that I'd almost run into Fang coming down the hall.

'They down?"

I nodded. "They're beat. School really takes it out of them. And then, of course, Erasers."

"Yeah."

We saw Anne come out of Nudge's room. She smiled and mouthed "Good night" at us, then headed downstairs. I thought about her being the last person Nudge would see before she went to sleep, and my jaw tightened.

"Let them enjoy it while they can," said Fang, reading my expression in that irritating way he had.

"She's taking my place," I said without meaning to.

Fang shrugged. "You're a fighter, not a mom."

(Crater)

I walked into Angel's room where everyone but Max and Fang were at. I blushed. "I'm not that good." Gazzy rolled his eyes. "Crater we've heard you sing in the shower before. Come on! Just this once?" He begged. They were attacked today. All I did was flip a van and yell at people. Even Iggy was here. I sighed. "Okay fine." They cheered and I shushed them.

"But once I'm done no more. Bed time, comprede?" They nodded. Oh, how could I have said no. I took a deep breath.

 _Close your eyes I know what you see_

 _The darkness is high and you're in ten feet deep_

 _But we've survived more terrible monsters than sleep_

 _And you know I will be here to tell you to breathe_

 _Tu sei il mio soldatino_

 _La ragione per cui vivo_

 _Non ti scordar di me_

 _Io veglierò su di te_

 _Stumbling lost_

 _the last choice of all that you meet_

 _It's the cost of ruling those 'neath your feet_

 _Paths you've crossed and trust you're trying to keep_

 _You're exhausted listening for a voice that can't speak_

 _Ma Nico, mio caro_

 _Tu sei il mio soldatino_

 _La ragione ho vissuto_

 _Non ti scordar di me_

 _Io veglierò su di te_

 _So you run_

 _Through shadows you roam_

 _Seams undone by the love thought you could own_

 _But he's just one of many that you might call home_

 _And maybe someday The bitter will fade from your bones_

 _Fade from your bones_

 _Ooh_

 _Eri il mio soldatino_

 _Ora un principe oscuro_

 _Ma anche per te, c'è una luce_

 _Che ad un'altra vita ti conduce_

They looked so sad yet happy at the same time. Nudge wiped a tear from her eye. "Crater, you should sing more often. Your voice is like so pretty. You know what we should enter a compi-" Iggy put and hand over her mouth. "Hey, we made a deal remember." I smiled at him and nodded o the rest. "Come on guys, bedtime." They all left through the window except Angel who slept here.

She giggled. "You like Iggy don't you?" Total chuckled. I blushed and froze and died all that the same time. "W-wha huh?!" Was all I could managed. Total rolled his eyes. "Oh come _on_! Everyone already knows. I mean you did kiss him." I want to kill myself. The kiss. I nodded my head, I do like Iggy. I heard Angel squeal. "But don't tell him!" I barked and she nodded. Still giggling. Does he know that I like him? I thought and she shook her head. Oh thank the gods, I'm not _that_ obvious.

I slept soundly that night. Does he like me back? Was the question I should have asked Angel.

(Max)

I almost gasped, stung. "I can't be both? You think I'm a lousy mom? What, because I'm not girly enough, is that it?" I was really mad, the tensions of the day boiling over in me. "Not like that girl with the red hair, stuck to you like glue!" My hands came up and, without thinking, I shoved Fang hard.

Since this was Fang, he didn't just take it like a gentleman. He immediately shoved me back, almost making me hit the wall. I was mortified - not only because I was attacking my best friend, but because I'd sounded like a jealous idiot. Which I wasn't. At all.

I stood there, breathing fast, feeling my cheeks flame with humiliation and anger. My hands clenched and unclenched, and I wanted to disappear.

I felt his dark eyes looking at me and waited for him to tease me about being upset over the Red-Haired Wonder.

He stepped closer to me, till his face was only inches away from mine. We'd been the same height for most of our lives, but in the past two years he'd shot past me. Now my eyes were level with his shoulder.

"You're girly enough," he said quietly. "As I recall."

New embarrassment washed over me - he was referring to when I'd kissed him at the beach, weeks ago. He just had girls throwing themselves at him left and right, didn't he?

I gritted my teeth and didn't say anything.

"And you've been a great mom. But you're only fourteen and you shouldn't have to be a mom. Give yourself ten years or so."

He went past me, brushing my shoulder as I stood there stiffly. He meant a real mom, with my own kids. I definitely considered the flock my own kids, but Fang meant kids I made myself. Like the Voice had said earlier.

Right then, I just hated my life, in a whole new, refreshing way.

"By the way," Fang called from down the hallway. "I've started a blog. I'm using the computers at school. Against all the rules, of course. Fang's Blog." He chuckled, as only Fang can chuckle. "Check it out sometime . .. Mom."

(Max 2)

It was cold out tonight, but the new' Max didn't even feel it. She edged back on her branch, pressing her spine against the rough bark of the tree trunk. The binoculars were heavy on their cord around her neck. Drawing her knees up, she hugged herself, feeling a warm tear escape her eye and roll down her cheek. She was watching the other Max all the time, watching and learning. But it was hard. It was painful.

"Oh, Max," she whispered, seeing the other Max far away, through the window of Anne's house. "I know just how you feel. You and I are always alone, no matter how many other people are around."

(Max)

At school the next morning, we were greeted by the sight of several large tour buses taking up practically the whole parking lot. I saw my new friend J.J., and she waved and came over to me as the rest of the flock melted into the crowd.

"This is a special treat," J.J. said cheerfully. "A field trip."

"Field trip?" I pictured us all out in the fields, tracking something.

"Yep, field trip. The whole school is off to the White House, home of our beloved leader. Which means no classes, no lectures, and probably no homework."

I smiled at J.J. I liked her style. She wasn't all stuck-up and stiff. Didn't take things too seriously. Like, well, I did, for instance.

"All righty, then," I said. "Field trip it is." Crater smiled and whooped. "Lets go guys!" She cheered. No classrooms meant happy Crater. J. J. smiled at Crater's childish behavior.

(Iggy)

"Our class is over here," a girl's voice said.

Iggy frowned. He was concentrating on sounds, listening for the scrape of Fang's boot against the pavement. One second he'd been there, and the next, Iggy had been surrounded by a sea of voices he couldn't sort through.

A hand gently touched his arm. "Our class is over here," the voice said again, and he recognized it. This girl sat eight feet away from him, due northeast, in their classroom.

Iggy was embarrassed, standing there like a blind idiot, not knowing where to go.

"Our teacher changed direction on us with no warning," the girl explained. He remembered her name was Tess.

"Oh," Iggy muttered. He moved where she was subtly tugging him. "Thanks."

"No prob," Tess said easily. "You know, I was so relieved when they put you in our class. Now I won't stick out so much."

Because you 're a blind mutant freak? Iggy thought, confused.

"You know, tall for my age, like you. People always say, Oh, be glad about it - you can be a basketball player, or a model or something. But when you're fourteen, a girl, and five ten, the whole thing pretty much sucks," she finished. "But now I'm not alone. We match."

Iggy laughed, and then he heard Fang's step, felt Fang barely brush against his jacket, telling him where he was.

"Tess?" the teacher called.

"Got to go - room leader and all," said Tess. "I'll find you later, when we're walking around, okay?"

"Okay," said Iggy, feeling dazed. He heard Tess's light step hurry away. What had just happened? He felt like he'd been hit by a truck.

"You're slayin' 'em, big guy," said Fang. Then a thought hit him. Crater. Wait what? Why was he thinking about her?

(Angel)

"Of course, there's far too much to see and do in Washington DC for us to cover everything today," said one of the teachers, standing at the front of the bus. She raised her voice to be heard over the engine. 'This morning we'll tour the Capitol and see where the House of Representatives and the Senate meet. Then we'll spend half an hour at the Vietnam Memorial, the Wall. After lunch, we'll go to the White House."

Angel's seat buddy, Caralyn, oohed and looked excited.

"I can't wait to see the White House," Angel said, and Caralyn nodded.

"I wish we were going to the Museum of Natural History," Caralyn said. "Have you been there?"

"Uh-uh."

"It's really cool. It has dinosaur skeletons, and a huge stuffed whale hanging from the ceiling, and meteors and diamonds."

"Sounds cool," said Angel. Maybe she would ask Anne to bring them there. Maybe she should just get her teacher to think of detouring there today. No, maybe not. If Max found out, she would be mad. Angel patted Celeste, tucked into the waistband of her plaid school skirt, and decided to just go with the program. For now.

(Max)

If you're ever feeling a lack of middle-aged white men, just pop into the Capitol. Not so much the House of Representatives, which has a bit more color and texture, but the Senate - jeez. Yes, let's have more testosterone running the country.

In the Capitol building we watched a short movie about our Founding Fathers and how they tried to create a perfect system of government. They sounded so freaking sincere, the whole "perfect union" and "all men are created equal" thing. Except of course for the men they owned as household property. Not to put a fly in the ointment.

But despite all that, hearing their words, seeing the Constitution, getting the whole story of what they were trying to do - well, you gotta give 'em credit. They really were trying to set up something good and fair. Kind of in a way that no other country, before or since, had tried to do.

Long and short of it: Democracy gets a big thumbs-up from me.

The Vietnam Wall was awful. A huge, smooth black granite monolith covered with names of people who died in a war. Very depressing. I saw Nudge make the mistake of touching the Wall. She almost doubled over - her ability to sense people and emotions through leftover vibrations must have been mind-blowing here. A couple of her new friends put their arms around her, and I saw one pull out a tissue. I would talk to her about it later. Crater ran to her and patted her back in circles till she calmed down.

Then the White House-Well. It is one big, fancy hacienda, let me tell you. Not a castle. Not as froufrou as the Taj Mahal or Graceland. But still mucho impressive.

You know, being in the White House - surrounded by invisible state-of-the-art security systems, as well as extremely visible guards with guns - I felt the safest I had in ages. If anyone wanted to get to us, they'd have to go through White House security first. Also Crater. Which I was comfortable with. Since by then you'd be dead.

We saw the "Parrot" collection of rooms (Red, Blue, Green), as well as the gi-normous State Dining Hall. The library was weensy, as libraries go. There was a whole room just for presidential china, which I got a kick out of. What next? The presidential pantry?

After a while, even with the different colors, the rooms started melding together: undersized antique furniture, fancy curtains, famous paintings of famous people I sometimes recognized. When I thought about all the history that had actually happened where I stood, I almost got a little chill. Or it could have been the inadequate heating.

It just cracked me up that here I was, Maximum Ride, in person, on a school field trip. I mean, how freakish was that? This past week was the first time I'd ever gone to school in my life. I'd grown up in a dog crate. I had freaking wings. But here I was, commingling with the best of 'em, playing nicely with others. Sometimes I just impress the h out of myself.

"Come on, we have ten minutes to get souvenirs," said J.J., heading to a display case. I had no one to buy souvenirs for: We can't collect stuff. It would weigh us down too much.

I saw Nudge, Crater, and Gazzy looking through the books.

"Wasn't this great?" Nudge asked excitedly. "I can't believe we're in the White House! I want to be president someday."

"I'll be vice president," the Gasman offered.

"You guys would be great," I said politely. Yes, they could run on the Mutant Party ticket, with a freak-of-nature platform. No prob. I'm sure America is ready for that.

I looked around and saw Fang. The Red-Haired Wonder was hovering by him, of course, and it irked me to all get-out. How could he even stand her, with her smiles and her agreeableness? I didn't get it. I also saw Iggy talking to a girl - she was touching some State Department silk scarves and laughing with him. I hoped she was nice. And not an Eraser.

But where was the ever-so-adorable-and-scary Angel?

I surveyed the crowd. Besides our school group, there were random assorted tourists, another tour group, and . . . no Angel. Not anywhere. That little girl sure had a talent for disappearing.

"Nudge. Where's Angel?" Crater bag an looking through the crowds quickly.

Nudge looked around. "I don't see her. Maybe the bathroom?"

I was already walking toward Fang. "Excuse me," I said tightly, interrupting the Red-Haired Wonder's adoration, "I don't see An- Ariel."

Fang scanned the crowd. The Red-Haired Wonder smiled at me.

"You're Nick's sister, right?"

Please, someone save me. "Uh-huh."

Fang turned back to me. "I'll go look."

I followed him, heading for the doorway we'd all come through. This was all I needed. We were trying to blend, to not stand out, and she went and got lost in the freaking White House. Where getting lost would no doubt cause somewhat of a hullabaloo. Should I ask her teacher? Alert a guard? Maybe she was just lost, or maybe she'd been kidnapped by Erasers. Again. So much for my feeling of security. Dang it.

There were three entrances to this room, a guard at each one. Where to start?

Then an excited ripple spread through the crowd, a soft murmur of voices. I was taller than a lot of the other kids and I quickly scanned the faces I could see. The crowd parted, and Angel came toward me, a little smile on her face. Celeste dangled from one hand, and I noticed incongruously that we had to send that bear through the wash but soon.

Then I saw who was holding Angel's other hand. The president. Or a stunning facsimile.

My jaw dropped as I stared at them. Several black-suited men with earphones scurried into the room, looking alarmed.

"Hi, Max," said Angel. "I got lost. Mr. Danning brought me back."

"Hi, uh, Ariel," I said weakly, searching her face. I glanced up at the president. He looked so lifelike, much more so than he did on TV. "Uh, thanks. Sir."

He gave me a warm smile. "No problem, miss. Your sister knew you'd be worried. You've got yourself a remarkable little girl here."

Yeah? You mean the wings? Or was it the infiltrating-your-brain part? Oh, God, I had a bad feeling about this. I studied Angel, but as usual she looked wide-eyed and innocent. Not that that had ever meant anything.

"Yes, we certainly do," I said. "Thank you for finding her. And bringing her back."

Angel's teacher fell all over herself, shaking the president's hand and thanking him and apologizing all at the same time.

"My pleasure." The president - the authentic president of the United States - leaned down and smiled at Angel. "You take care now," he said. "Don't go getting lost anymore."

"I won't," Angel said. "Thanks for finding me."

He patted her blond curls, making them bounce, then waved at the crowd before turning and heading out of the visitors' center. The black-suited men hurried after him like ants on speed.

Every eye in the room was on us. I kneeled down to Angel's level and spoke through a clenched smile. "I can't believe this happened," I said. "Are you okay?" Crater wouldn't let her go. She just hugged her and looked close to tears.

Angel nodded. "I was worried, 'cause I looked up and my whole class was gone. So I went down a hall, and then another hall, and then the president met me. But nothing weird happened. None of those guys turned into Erasers or anything." She looked up at Crater and smiled apologetically. "It's okay Crater, I'm right here." She said trying to calm the big cinnamon roll. Crater on the other hand looked ready to burst into tears. She just nodded her head and let go.

J.J. patted Crater on her back, well, more like on the middle of her back since Crater was to tall for her and Crater took a deep breath and smiled at J.J.

"Okaaay," I said, my heart still beating fast. "Just stick close from now on. I don't want to lose you again."

"Okay, Max," Angel said solemnly, taking my hand.

I also didn't want her playing mind-puppet with the leader of the free world, but I was going to save that conversation till later.

(Ari)

"Zoom in." Jeb leaned closer to the black-and-white monitor.

Ari wordlessly rewound the tape and zoomed in. Again he watched as the crowd in the visitors' center rippled outward like a school of fish. Again the smiling countenance of the president appeared in the top left corner of the screen. Ari zoomed the focus in on the president and the blond kid by his side.

Jeb examined the screen intently, touching the glass as if he could touch the images themselves. Ari watched Jeb's eyes focus on Angel, on Max, on that girl, on the president. His gut tightened. What would it take to make Jeb look at him like that? He'd never cared about Ari when he was just a regular boy. Then Ari had been turned into a mutant freak, just like the bird kids. And still his own father had no time for him, no interest in him. What would it take? Not even dying had helped, which, face it, would have been most people's trump card.

It was time. Past time. Time to take the freaks down. When they were completely gone, just footnotes in a science text, then Jeb would have to realize how important Ari was.

He watched as Max's eyes widened on the screen. With those jackets on, you could hardly tell these kids were mutant freaks. Ari knew he himself was pretty identifiable. His retrofitted wings were too large to fold neatly up against his spine. His skin was rough from morphing in and out. And his features - Ari couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something odd about his features, maybe from having a seven-year-old face stretched to fit a man-sized Eraser.

Max smiled at the president nervously. Even on a tiny black-and-white screen, she was striking. Tall, lean, sandy-streaked hair. He knew that under her jacket her arms were whipcord tough, strong. He could still feel the bruise from her last kick on his ribs. He scowled.

And there was his father, watching the screen as if looking at a Thanksgiving dinner. As if they were his kids, instead of Ari. As if he was proud of them and wanted them back.

But he wasn't going to get them back. Not ever. Ari was going to make sure of that. Plans had been made. Wheels set in motion. Jeb would be angry at first. But he would come around.

Ari covered his mouth to hide his smile.

(Max)

"Max?"


End file.
